Somerset Country Gardener May 2022

Somerset Issue No 190 MAY 2022 FREE

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THAT MAKES SCENTS!

...why fragrance is making a comeback in our gardens GREAT GARDEN

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Kids and gardening Full colour with cosmos

Plug plants Bees and pollinators

Gardening news and events throughout Somerset

Planting Outdoor Living Cafe www.fonthill-lakeside.com

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Gardeners cuttings

in Somerset

CUTTINGS

A LOOK AT NEWS, EVENTS AND HAPPENINGS IN YOUR AREA

Postbox Cottage opens by appointment

Somerset garden owners open their gates for St Margaret’s Hospice

There are some beautiful gardens opening for St Margaret’s Hospice this summer, helping to raise funds for the hospice which has been at the heart of Somerset’s community for 40 years, delivering care to patients and their families facing a life-limiting illness.

On Tuesday 3rd May five acres of gardens at HOLLAM HOUSE, DULVERTON TA22 9JH will be open for St Margaret’s Hospice. Located on the southeast edge of Exmoor National Park, the garden is on a south facing slope, and will be full of colour with rhododendrons and thousands of bulbs at their best.

As well as many unusual trees and shrubs, there’s a water garden, ponds, meadow areas, summerhouse and rill.

The garden will be open from 1pm until 5pm on 3rd May, admission £5.

Refreshments will be available, also parking and toilets. The garden has limited access for wheelchairs and pushchairs.

LITTLE ORCHARD, 8 CHURCH ROAD, EAST HUNTSPILL TA9 3PG will open for the hospice on Sunday 22nd May from 11am until 4pm. The one-acre plot, developed over the past 25 years from horse paddocks, is now a stunning garden on the edge of the Hollam House has five acres of gardens to explore

Somerset Levels, with a collection of specimen and orchard trees, an eclectic mix of annual and perennials, and a small vegetable area. Admission is £3, refreshments will be available, and the garden is accessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs.

Also open for the hospice on Sunday 22nd May is WOODBOROUGH HOUSE, PORLOCK WEIR TA24 8NZ, a steep woodland garden with magnificent views over Porlock Bay, specialising in spring flowering shrubs, including rhododendrons, azaleas, acers and camellias. The garden opens from 12pm-4pm, admission £5, with refreshments available, and a limited amount of parking available.

There’s also a garden opening for the hospice by appointment, so visitors can arrange a time with the owner. POSTBOX COTTAGE AT WEST BAGBOROUGH NEAR TAUNTON, TA4 3EF is a stunning garden with fantastic views, planted for year-round interest, with a walled top garden displaying unusual perennials, roses and climbers, an orchard area with wildlife pond, flowering shrubs, and seating areas to enjoy the magnificent views. To arrange a visit, contact the owner on 07384 576692 or email martinvjones@talk.talk.net BROADLEIGH GARDENS, BARR HOUSE, BISHOPS HULL, TAUNTON TA4 1AE, the nursery run by Lady Christine Skelmersdale that specialises in bulbs and unusual perennials, is open throughout the year for the hospice, Monday-Friday 9am-4pm, weekends by appointment, admission £2.50 (charity donation). Tel. 01823 270655. The garden is accessible to wheelchairs and pushchairs, and there’s parking available.

NEW RARE PLANT FAIR AT THE AMERICAN MUSEUM AND GARDENS A new Rare Plant Fair takes place at The American Museum and Gardens, in Bath, on Sunday, May 22nd.

This is the only museum of Americana outside of the United States and was founded to bring American history and cultures to Britain and Europe. The gardens and grounds form a key part of this experience, and since the museum opened in 1961, the 30 acres surrounding the house have been developed to include a replica of George Washington’s garden at Mount Vernon, a Lewis and Clark trail and an arboretum.

The fair opens from 10am to 4pm, and entry to the fair and garden costs £7.50 for adults and £5 for children aged five to 17. The museum and exhibitions are also open on the day (additional fee payable).

There is a selection of specialist nurseries attending, all of whom are experts in the plants that they grow. Visit the website at www.rareplantfair.co.uk for full details of the Fair.

American Museum & Gardens, Claverton Manor, Bath BA2 7BD

Yarlington House celebrates its 20th plant fair The popular plant fair at historic Yarlington House near Wincanton, takes place on Saturday 7th May, celebrating its 20th anniversary.

The Count and Countess Charles de Salis held the first fair at their elegant home in 2002 and have been holding the fairs ever since, except for the cancellation in the Covid pandemic in 2020, raising thousands of pounds over the years for charities.

Specialist growers and dealers from all over the South West will be attending and provide the opportunity to buy rare and unusual plants. There’s also the chance to explore the beautiful gardens created by the Count and Countess, a mix of formal and informal areas, and a very productive walled kitchen garden.

The fair runs from 10am until 4pm. Entrance is £5, free for under 16s, with payment either by cash or card-reader. This year funds raised from the plant fair will go to the church of St Luke and St Teresa in Wincanton.

In addition to the plants from the specialists there will be a stall selling a selection of unusual annuals from the Yarlington House stall. There is ample free parking; tea, coffee and cake will be available all day.

Yarlington House, Yarlington, Nr Wincanton, Somerset BA9 8DY www.countrygardener.co.uk

Yarlington House - celebrating 20 years

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CUTTINGS

HISTORIC HOLCOMBE COURT OPENS ITS GARDENS FOR HOSPISCARE

West Country orchards hit record levels of decline

The spacious gardens and grounds of historic Holcombe Court in the village of Holcombe Rogus will open for Hospiscare on the weekend of 7th and 8th May. There’s variety in this old garden around the 16th century manor house which has been called ‘the finest Tudor house in Devon’. It has been immaculately restored in recent years, with herbaceous borders, a Victorian rockery, four trout ponds, a walled garden with a box edged parterre, espaliered trees, and a woodland garden.

Holcombe Court’s gardens will be open from 10am until 5pm each day, on Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th May. Admission is £5, under 12s free. Hot and cold drinks and cake will be available, there will be a raffle and a plant stall. Parking is close by, with marked signs in the village. Wheelchair access is limited, and dogs are not allowed.

Holcombe Court, Holcombe Rogus, near Wellington, TA21 0PA.

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BROADLEAS GARDEN CLOCKS UP 60 YEARS FUNDRAISING FOR NGS One of the West Country’s most admired and visited private gardens, Broadleas, at Devizes, has won a long service award for raising funds for the NGS for the past 60 years.

Amelia Tester, Wiltshire NGS county organiser presented the award to the current owners Karen and Richard Cardiff on 11th April. The Cardiffs have chosen as their gift a Rhododendron ‘Bureavii’ to plant at Broadleas with a plaque from the NGS to commemorate the 60 years. All this in time for their next opening which was due on Sunday 24th April.

Lady Anne Cowdray who died in 2009 at the age of 95, was the previous owner of Broadleas. She lavished all her care and attention on it from when she moved there with her husband in 1946 for the next six decades.

The six-acre garden today has a wonderful mature collection of specimen trees including oaks, magnolia, handkerchief, redwood, dogwood, overlooked by the house and arranged above the valley garden crowded with magnolias, camellias, rhododendrons, azaleas, cornus, and hydrangeas..

Broadleas opens for the NGS on Sunday 24th April from 2pm until 5.30pm.

Admission £7, children free. Homemade teas will be available (refreshments in aid of local Macmillan Care Trusts), plants for sale, dogs allowed, and coaches welcome. Wheelchair access is to the upper garden only; there are some gravel and narrow grass paths. The gardens will also be open for the NGS on Sunday 19th June, from 2pm until 5.30pm.

Broadleas House & Gardens, Devizes, Wiltshire SN10 5JQ. www.ngs.org.uk

Traditional orchards continue to disappear

A new report for the National Trust claims that Somerset and Devon are two of the worst areas in Britain for the decline in the number of orchards. The land taken up by orchards in England and Wales has halved since the early 1900s according to new research resulting in huge losses in habitats for nature and meaning fewer people can enjoy one of nature’s great spectacles – spring blossom.

It is the first comprehensive review of both traditional and modern orchards in England and Wales, and it confirms that in general the West Country has suffered and was home to some of the largest number of orchards has lost nearly 24,000 hectares (around 74 per cent), over twice the size of Bristol.

Kent is one of only three English counties (along with Suffolk and East Sussex) that has more orchards now than they did 100 years ago, due to more modern orchards being planted.

There have also been huge declines in South West cities as they have grown in size with the biggest orchard losses in Cheltenham (99 per cent) in Gloucestershire (97 per cent), Exeter (97 per cent) Plymouth (96 per cent) and Bath (85 per cent).

GO SUB-TROPICAL THROUGH DUNSTER CASTLE GARDENS There’s the opportunity to go sub-tropical in the popular Dunster Castle’s gardens over the next few weeks in the gardens which are three miles south east of Minehead. The gardens are wild, wooded and thanks to the magnolia trees, it is often bursting with colour. You can’t miss the giant rhubarb in the summer. Indulge your senses in the microclimate that has nurtured some rare species including the handkerchief tree. This walk will take you to the working watermill. There’s a tea-room but it’s recommended that you head into the village where there’s far more choice and loads to see.

Dunster Castle Gardens - Exmoor Walk, Dunster, Minehead TA24 6NY

www.countrygardener.co.uk

Wonderful woodland walks at Dunster Castle

5

CUTTINGS

NEW CHELSEA TRAIL AT YEO VALLEY GARDENS The Yeo Valley Organic Garden in Blagdon has re-opened for a new season of scents and colours.

In celebration of Yeo Valley Organic’s successful appearance at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2021, where they won a RHS Gold Medal and the People’s Choice Award, visitors will be able to follow the new ‘Chelsea Trail’ to see different elements that inspired and played a pivotal part in the award-winning show garden.

Head gardener and creator of the Yeo Valley Organic Garden, Sarah Mead says: “The RHS Chelsea Flower Show was a highlight of 2021, we were thrilled to win a RHS gold medal but absolutely beside ourselves when we won the People’s Choice award. We have reintroduced prominent components of our Chelsea show garden back to the real Yeo Valley Organic Garden that inspired it all.”

In the lead up to the new season, the Yeo Valley Organic gardening team has been busy preparing the new ’Chelsea Trail’ with plants, boulders, charcoal walls and of course the steam-bent eggThe award-winning Yeo Valley Organic Garden’s show shaped wooden hide, designed and created by Cornish sculptor Tom Raffield, being returned garden at last year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show from SW3.

Head gardener Sarah Mead said: “Now, we want to continue our journey of highlighting the importance of looking after nature, gardening organically and the health of our soils.”

Tickets are available to pre-order with two-hour slots. Spring bulbs will be flowering in drifts throughout the garden and the blossom will be in full swing. Some of the garden team will also be on hand to answer questions.

The tearoom will be serving drinks and snacks, offering visitors a warm welcome after their stroll around the garden.

For more information and to book a time to visit the garden visit //www.yeovalley.co.uk/the-organic-garden/ Yeo Valley Organic Garden, Bath Road, Blagdon, BS40 7SQ

… AND GARDENS HOST A HERB DAY WITH MARK DIACONO On Thursday 17th May, the Yeo Valley gardens hosts a day with food writer, grower and photographer Mark Diacono.

The day is a celebration of herbs aimed at helping to choose what to grow, consider some of the finest varieties,and you’ll discover new flavours and scents, as well as learn how to grow, pick, and store them.

Mark will look at perennial herbs such a rosemary, mint, thyme and sage, and annuals such as basil, parsley and coriander. You will also get to know some less familiar herbs such as Scots lovage, Korean mint and Vietnamese coriander.

Mark Diacono You’ll also get ideas about how to make the best of them in the kitchen. The day will include demos that showcase how herbs can transform what you eat, from 10am to 4.30pm and includes morning coffee, two course lunch, afternoon tea, and garden entry. Pre-booking required.

Gardening club events and meetings in Somerset

May 11TH Nailsea & District Horticultural Society ‘CONTAINER GARDENING’ – VAL AND MARTYN DAVIS. For more details contact 01275 855342

21ST Halse Flower Show FLOWER SHOW AND COFFEE MORNING 10am to 1pm. Plants from Forde Nursery. Halse Village Hall

24TH East Huntspill Garden Club DEMO & TALK ON TULIPS Details on 01278 784110 Chilcompton Gardening Club ‘HOW I CAME TO RUN A VINEYARD’ - SUSANNA APPLEGATE. Details on 01761 414714

June 1ST West Pennard Gardening Club

Quince Honey Farm opens for the National Garden Scheme for the first time Quince Honey Farm at South Molton, Devon, which has the largest wildlife garden in the UK that is open to the public, opens its gates for the National Garden Scheme for the first time this summer.

The Nectar Gardens are designed specifically for bees, other pollinators and the local wildlife, a place where nectar and pollen are maximised. All the planting is bee and pollinator friendly, and all the features were designed to provide a habitat for various wildlife.

The first opening is on Thursday 12th and Friday 13th May, followed by another opening on Thursday 19th and 20th May, and again on Thursday 26th and Friday 27th May, from 9.30am until 5pm on each day. There are also openings in June and July. Admission is £5, children free.

Quince Honey Farm also welcomes visitors who want to tour the farm by arrangement, from May to July, also raising funds for the NGS, who ask that direct contact be made with the owners, the Wallace Family, on 01769 572401, or by email: hello@quincehoneyfarm.co.uk

‘PLANNING A BORDER’ - THE GOLD CLUB Details on 01458 850734

24TH East Huntspill Garden Club SUMMER SOCIAL EVENING Details on 01278 784110

‘Time Off’ set to return If your gardening club or association is getting back into full swing after the restrictions of the past couple of years be sure to let Country Gardener know. Send your club meetings and outings details to timeoff@countrygardener.co.uk

www.quincehoneyfarm.co.uk

Look out for the June issue of Country Gardener, available from Friday, 27th May 6

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7

READERS LETTERS

Have your say...

If you have anything you would like to share with us then please write to us at Country Gardener, Mount House, Halse, Taunton, Somerset TA4 3AD or email editorial@countrygardener.co.uk

OH NO, NOT HANGING BASKETS!

Time to say adios to the Spanish bluebells

It’s that time of year when we are all enjoying the bluebells. I remember that years ago my mother -in-law bought me 100 bulbs which were supposed to be English bluebells. Every year I look at them and think ’Oh dear’. These are not the gentle bells from my past but lumping ugly Spanish ones.

I have had enough, and this year have decided to get rid of them. I live in an area where there are still English bluebells in abundance but still you see the Spanish varieties. I have read that by getting rid of them it will help the English varieties thrive. Spanish bluebells are sold in the guise of English bluebells, and it may well be that my mother-in-law was duped. The rogue variety grow deep so I will need to go down to a good depth and then it’s the bin and not the compost for them.

Caroline Piper-Hill

Dorchester

Dangerous euphorbias

My near neighbours seem to have developed an attack of hanging baskets. It annoys me. I have never understood the ideas of hanging baskets. You get a container with holes, line it to retain moisture then hang it up to dry. You water it at least daily in summer, feed it to keep it blooming and replant it twice a year to maintain the effect.

I understand the idea is to bring life and colour to dull walls of lamp posts, but the effect is always limited by the size of the basket.

Why not a well-chosen climber or wall shrub? Climbers will flower for months, and you get the enduring appeal from ground level upwards.

And if planting isn’t possible in the ground, then so many plants and shrubs will thrive in pots.

Nigel Healey

I’d like to share a warning about the danger of getting too close to euphorbias. They are beautiful plants and self-seed a lot in our garden, but I was cutting back some of the stems which threatened to overwhelm out path. I felt some sap spurt into my eye. I went to A&E straight away where I was told that the poisonous sap had scratched the cornea and I was given an antibiotic ointment to prevent infection. It was very painful. In future I will be wearing some sort of glasses as protection. I was always aware that the sap was poisonous, but this was a hard way to find out.

Martock

Garden therapy I enjoyed your April issue and the story about the healing nature of being in the garden. My seven-year-old son broke his leg in early March and with the recent lovely weather has been spending time in the garden surrounded by nature, birds and other creatures which make their home with us. The time he has spent just being outside in the garden has had a very calming effect on him and seems to fit in with what we all feel about the therapeutic nature of gardening.

Rebecca Bull sent by email

Anna Goodman

Liss

ALLOTMENT PLOT COSTS I wonder how many of your readers who are allotment holders are worried about the increase in rental costs. Around us the increases are substantial and maybe I am being pessimistic but are the increases being made to price people out at a time when so many of us are worrying about the cost of living? This would result in the land become derelict and then ideal for development. I hope I am wrong but would urge allotment holders to stick together and don’t let go of the land they rent.

David Clarke

Underrated hardy geraniums

I’d like to make a point about how underrated hardy geraniums are in our gardens. They seem to be ignored and not appreciated. We have many varieties growing in the garden in borders and pots. A great reason for supporting them is that they seem to be ignored by slugs and snails which is a real advantage in any garden, especially on the damp areas beloved of these pests.

Burnham

Look out for hedgehogs when strimming

Allan Hollin sent by email

More hedgehogs have been taken into our local rescue centre in the past two weeks compared with the whole of last year. The early season desire for us to quickly tidy up our gardens has led to this increase in numbers and there is now a real plea to check thoroughly before strimming. Hedgehogs start to breed in May so have a poke around any long grass or dense foliage to check for sleeping hedgehogs or nests with hoglets.

Chrissie Porter

Plymouth

The power of the mobile phone

Sadly, my wife has been in hospital for a few weeks and missed the spectacular display of daffodils throughout our garden. Thanks to the mobile phone I have been sending her almost daily pictorial updates of how the garden is coming to life and how wonderful the daffs look this spring.

Chris Bartlett 8

sent by email

REMEMBER A GARDEN IS NEVER FINISHED

Double whammy for the birds

I read with interests your article about the gentleman who was concerned that he would never be able to catch up the tasks in the garden which needed doing in April and that his garden got away from him and he was never able to catch up. I would urge a sense of proportion in all this. I, too, like him get panicky about the number of jobs that need doing and walk around the garden thinking, ‘this needs doing’, ‘that needs doing’. My father was a great gardener and he always used to say that no garden will ever be finished and is an ever changing process. With that in mind it’s a bit easier to deal with what needs doing.

Norman Shepherd Taunton

Heather Lewis

Country Gardener

I find the most effective way to deal with such pests as virburnum beetles is to hang a couple of bird feeders on the branches of affected plants. I then have a shrub full of birds, patiently awaiting their turn at the feeders while gorging on tiny caterpillars and beetles.

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9

Making sense

of scent

Dorset rose grower Jenny Breakwell has become passionate about the scents of all flowers in her garden and urges more gardeners to, as she says ‘claim the garden for your nose’

If you choose your plants solely for their appearance you could be missing out on one of the greatest garden pleasures - scent!

It is time to claim the garden for your nose.

Scent is so powerful because the part of your brain that handles smell is directly linked to the parts which handle memory and emotion.

Nothing else can evoke or create a feeling quite like it.

Of all the senses, the sense of smell is the most evocative.

The sweet citrus smell of rose ‘Chinatown’, or the spicey perfume of lily of the valley may perhaps conjure up memories of childhood forays into gardening. The apricotlike smell of freesias remind me of my mother, they were her favourite cut flower.

Although scented flowers can be enchanting, we often take their scent for granted. Invisible ‘smells’ is a design element that is usually overlooked by garden designers while they are busy searching for a tree with a particular shape, a shrub that will fit a colour palette, or a path that is the right scale.

The plants you choose for your scented garden will follow your theme or simply be the aromas that call to you.

Roses: and it goes without saying that these have a classic, beautiful smell. Some rose varieties smell better than others.

Roses can’t take all the credit for fragrance. Also try jasmine, lily of the valley, hyacinth, wisteria, freesia, sweet alyssum, and scented geranium.

A herb garden is one of the most scent-laden types of plantings you can create. Every type of herb has its own unique, powerful fragrance, so choose the ones you like the most.

Choose Japanese flowering cherry, linden trees, apple, and crab apple, among others, give you sweet, spring scents.

Don’t forget the flowering shrubs that also smell sweet, like lilac, butterfly bush, honeysuckle, daphne, and Korean spice viburnum.

And also don’t forget the wonder of sweet peas for a classic burst of summer.

Heavenly herbs A herb garden is one of the most scent-laden types of 10

on variety. Plant your tree in well-draining, rich soil in full-sun spots. Make sure you give them plenty of room to expand—some can grow up to 40 feet wide.

Gardenia You get a lot of nose power with this shrub thanks to fragrant flowers that bloom in late spring to early summer and then again in late summer and early autumn. Plant in moist, well-draining soil.

Mint can be available with many varieties and fragrances

plantings you can create. Every type of herb has its own unique, powerful fragrance, so take some time to select the ones which really appeal to you.

Herbs to choose for their scent include citrussy lemon balm, sharp smelling golden feverfew, sweet camomile, pungent thyme, and Helichrysum italicum, the curry plant.

You can delve into the delights of scented herbs by discovering varieties of mint that smell of pineapple, ginger, chocolate, strawberry and apple in addition to the more traditional peppermint and spearmint.

Not every scent is sweet!

A smell that is valued in cooking is not always desirable in an ornamental setting. For example, one of the showiest plants for well-drained sunny situations, Tulbaghia violaceae, produces dramatic spheres of pink flowers atop foot long stems from early summer to autumn. Once established it is easy to care for and returns every year.

However, its popular name ‘society garlic’ gives the game away, as the flowers and foliage smell lightly of garlic. As a result, this South African beauty is frequently returned because although the customers love the look, they don’t like its smell. Such a shame to be put off growing a stunning and useful plant simply because it smells of garlic.

Here’s some more of my favourites:

Magnolia There’s nothing sweeter than the smell of these large flowers, which bloom in spring and summer, depending Country Gardener

Gardenia has a lot of ‘nose power’

Freesia Tubular flowers come in a variety of shades including white, orange, red, blue, yellow, and lavender that bloom in summer. They are winter hardy and are known for the sweet scent they add to your outdoor oasis.

Honeysuckle This showy, vigorous perennial vine spills beautifully over a trellis or fence-line, and pollinators love it. Look for the native or newer types, which are not invasive like Japanese honeysuckle and which prefer full sun.

Butterfly bush Sometimes called summer lilac, this sturdy little shrub in shades of white, pink, or purple withstands drought, blooms all season long, and attracts pollinators. It’s now available in dwarf varieties, so it won’t overtake your garden, and newer types are not invasive. Set in borders or as mass plantings. This is a plant which likes full sun.

Although Gertrude Stein famously said : ‘A rose is a rose is a rose’, she couldn’t have been more wrong. The range, depth of scents available in roses is huge. My advice is if you want to grow scented roses then you must see them in flower and smell them before you make your choice. Rose fragrances can be categorised into types such as fruity, tea, myrrh and musk. As well as the types of roses, some are dramatically more fragrant than others. These are the roses to grow next to a path, bench or front door so you can take advantage of their scented blooms as you sit or walk past them. Remember that scented roses make wonderful cut flowers offering a sensual treat as well as being visually striking.

‘Heritage’

Here’s my very personal choice of roses The award-winning ‘Honey Perfume’ floribunda rose bears beautiful apricotyellow blooms that appear in clusters. Its petals release a strong, spicy scent that smells like a mixture of cloves, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg.

‘Honey Perfume’

This grandiflora rose’s name, ‘Radiant Perfume,’ says it all. The big, goldenyellow blooms have a wonderfully intense citrus scent. Thanks to their long stems, the flowers are perfect for cutting and adding sunshine indoors.

An outstanding English rose, ‘Heritage,’ bears petal-filled soft-pink blooms that smell of sweet lemons. Many gardeners appreciate that it has fewer (at least compared to most roses) thorns on its canes and good disease resistance.

‘Fragrant Cloud’

‘Fragrant Cloud’ rose offers a captivating fragrance in its big coral-red blooms.

This hybrid tea rose combines notes of citrus, spice, fruit, and rosy damask to create a fragrance that’s similar to the scent of pumpkin pie.

The old-fashioned rose, ‘Autumn Damask’ is one of the oldest rose groups, damasks. Its combination of beautiful pink flowers and intense fragrance keeps it popular today. As the oldest European rose to reliably repeat its blooms, it flowers abundantly in spring and has scattered blossoms through the summer and autumn.

‘Radiant Perfume’

‘Autumn Damask’

‘Scents in flowers are signals to pollinators such as some bees to come visit the flowers and are often smelled before they see the flowers.’

The secrets behind the scent of a rose •

Warm sunny days bring out the best fragrance. Roses tend to have more fragrance later in the day than in the morning, but this is variable and the fragrance of a rose growing in a warm sunny morning could decline by afternoon.

•

Why are some roses not fragrant? Scientists discover the flowers are losing their scent because consumers want better looking blooms. They say a ‘rose by any other name would smell as sweet’.

•

Scent in flowers, including roses, is not meant by nature for us but rather for the pollinators of the flowers. Scents in flowers are signals to those pollinators such as some bees to come and visit the flowers, and are often smelled before they see the flowers.

•

Flowers release scent when they are ready to be pollinated, which in roses often translates into a more powerful scent when flowers are half open.

•

In general, roses with the best scents are in darker colours, have more petals, and have thick or velvety petals. Red and pink roses often smell like what we term “rose”. White and yellows often smell of violets, nasturtium, and lemon. Orange roses often smell of fruits, violets, nasturtium, and clove.

•

Scent not only changes over time, but with time of day. Early morning is when scents are strongest, the oils most powerful, and so when roses are harvested for rose oil. Rose scent may be more powerful with the first blooms of summer.

•

Rose scent can change from outdoors to indoors. Just the cutting can change the chemical releases that we smell, so a rose that’s not very fragrant outdoors may be quite scented once in a vase inside.

RHS scent specialist offers his personal choice John Bradbury from Martock in Somerset advices the RHS on scented plants which form part of ongoing research in the society.

He has some very specific recommendations when it comes to boosting fragrance in the garden.

“The classic scented plant is lavender, and make sure you opt for English lavender (Lavendula angustifolia) for the most scent. ‘Munstead’ is also particularly strong.

“I would also plant Lobularia maritima (sweet alyssum) for its delicious honey scent, Fragrant Matthiola incana (Brompton stock), and Dianthus (also known as pinks) for its warm clove scent.

“I would also add Lantana and purple heliotropium to the list as summer container plants, due to their exotic appearance and rich aromas. And, for the wow-factor try growing Brugmansia, angel’s trumpet. This bedding shrub brings a touch of the tropics to the patio with its richly-scented, gigantic hanging flowers.

“Rosa rubiginosa, the eglantine rose, is an arching, flowering shrub with apple-scented foliage. After a shower of rain this rose can fill an entire garden with a delicious aroma.

Matthiola bicornis is also known as night scented stock, the strongly scented flowers open in the evening, so this hardy annual is good planted next to a patio where you eat alfresco on summer evenings.

Dianthus ‘Mrs Sinkins’ is one of the most fragrant perennial garden pinks. A vase of cut stems can fill a room with a delicious spicy clove scent. Keep cutting and deadheading to prolong flowering and so the fragrance.

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Matthiola bicornis

Lavendula angustifolia

11

READERS STORY

HOW I GET MORE FLOWERS ON MY ROSES Dorset retired teacher Joss Orton is now passionate about roses and here shares some of the things he has learnt on how to produce more flowers on his over 200 roses.

When I retired four years ago gardening moved from being a worry to a pleasure. Before then I struggled to keep up with our acre and a half very rural Dorset garden and right from the first days of spring to late autumn I always had the feeling that I was just tinkering and the garden was racing ahead of my ability to control it.

It is still that way sometimes but now I can really focus on some things - one of which is our roses, which if I say it myself give me endless joy.

I have spent at least two winters reading everything I can about varieties, different kinds of roses and tricks of the trade as they say. At the latest count we have over 200 plants of all sorts and shapes and I can wander down the garden and mostly can identify them by name.

My wife goes one better and can tell you where we bought them and how much they cost!

So, out of nowhere it seems I am someone who knows what they are talking about when it comes to these wonderful plants.

I look forward to your magazine and enjoy it immensely and when I see how readers regularly contribute, I thought I would join the queue. And share what I have

learned. I do not pretend to be an expert but after a career in teaching I understand the importance of researching my subject.

So, this is just an amateur gardener sharing some practical ideas which have worked for me.

It sounds obvious but let me say it anyway.

Roses need to be healthy and vigorous if they are to give the best blooms and enjoy the longest flowering season.

The number of flowers you enjoy will, as I have found, really depend on the variety you grow.

Many roses need sun to ripen their stems fully if they are to produce good flowers but if you have shade then go for the alpha group of roses which will bloom whether they get the sun for only part of the day.

Roses will, more than any other plant I have worked with respond if the soil is improved.

They particularly benefit from being mulched in early spring with well-rotted manure or garden compost which will hold on to its moisture and provide nutrients for the plants. Bush roses are expected to produce masses of growth and blooms often twice in the same year and without additional feeding the plants can quickly become weak with fewer blooms.

Fertilisers high in potash applied in spring will create flowers buds for successive flowering in the autumn.

Deadheading works This is the easy bit but I think we could all do more.

Deadheading certainly translates into additional blooms.

Rose blooms aren’t just there to give pleasure, they are also there to produce seed and new plants. As flowers fade the swelling ovary that carries the seed produces chemicals to suppress the formation of further flower buds. This channels the plant’s energies into the development of embryos inside the seeds. So, we gardeners can manipulate the process by removing the flowers before such chemicals are produced, allowing more flowers to form instead. It sounds a bit technical but is clear that this is why we must deadhead.

I am a passionate dead-header and fill buckets with fading petals!

This works for climbing and shrub roses where the aim is to get as many flowers as possible over a long season.

Timing is crucial so remove the old blooms as soon as the petals start to discolour.

There is a technique involved here. Cut the spent bloom down the stem to a set of five leaves and cut the flower stem back to just above it. Ideally, you want this set of five leaves to be facing outward so you encourage outward growth, allowing for good airflow for the plant.

The more frequently you deadhead, the less time you’ll spend on each bush.

Don’t waste time deadheading non rerepeating roses as it won’t encourage more flowers.

Black spot and powdery mildew diseases do more than disfigure rose bush foliage and cause leaf drop. These diseases weaken the entire plant, exhausting the energy needed to produce bountiful blooms. As the season progresses and temperature and humidity increase, most roses will experience some signs of disease.

Treat these fungal diseases by spraying infected bushes with the appropriate product at the first sign of symptoms. Some gardeners choose to use preventative treatments at the beginning of the growing season to protect new growth.

An effective preventive measure is to keep rose foliage as dry as possible by watering only at the base of the plant. Fungi like a moist environment.

So that’s it. I hope some rose lover somewhere out there gets a few more flowers from reading this.

In summary • Deadhead and do it promptly and probably more than you think • Control diseases the minute you see anything • Feed hungry roses - they are heavy feeders • Buy the right flowering variety with care

“Roses will, more than any other plant I have worked with respond if the soil is improved.”

12

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14

Country Gardener

Cosmic COSMOS! Once you learn how to grow cosmos, a favourite annual for summer garden colour, and realise just quite how easy it is, you’ll be adding them all over your garden.

The pollen-rich flowers are a favourite of bees and other pollinators and are excellent for companion planting alongside vegetable and fruit crops in a kitchen garden, too, as they entice pest predators and valuable pollinators.

Cosmos plants (Cosmos bipinnatus) reach varying heights in roughly 20 colours, adding frilly texture to the flower bed.

Growing cosmos is simple and cosmos flower care is easy as well as rewarding when single or double blooms appear on stems reaching from one to four feet. Cosmos plants may be featured at the back of a descending garden or in the middle of an island garden.

Planting cosmos flowers results in many uses of the specimen, such as cut flowers for the indoor display and backgrounds for other plants. Cosmos can even be used as screens to hide unsightly elements in the landscape.

How to grow cosmos When planting cosmos flowers, locate them in soil that has not been heavily worked.

Sunny, dry conditions, along with poor to average soil, are optimum conditions for growing cosmos. Cosmos plants are usually grown from seed. Scatter seeds of the

Q & A on cosmos DO COSMOS COME BACK EVERY YEAR? Nearly all cosmos are annuals meaning they do not come back every year. In order to have blooms every year, you will need to resow the seeds the following spring.

The only exception to this rule is chocolate cosmos, Cosmos atrosanguineus, which is grown like a dahlia from a tuber and is a perennial. Chocolate cosmos is loved for its delicious vanillary-chocolate scent and velvety brown flowers, and since it is a perennial, will come back year after year.

Annual cosmos can also self seed. If you let some of your cosmos flowers die naturally and fall to the ground, they will germinate seeds by themselves.

cosmos onto a bare area in the location where you wish to have them grow.

Once planted, this annual flower self-seeds and will provide more cosmos flowers in the area for years to come.

Daisy-like flowers of the cosmos plant appear atop tall stems with lacy foliage. Cosmos flower care can include the deadheading of flowers as they appear. This practice forces growth lower on the flower stem and results in a stronger plant with more flowers.

Cosmos flower care can include cutting flowers for indoor use, achieving the same effect on the growing cosmos plant.

Because some of these plants can grow tall, staking may be necessary. Offer them protection from strong winds, encourage balanced branching by pinching out central shoots or stem tips, or stake them.

Water regularly until plants are established or if it is unusually dry. Make sure you don’t over-water cosmos; over-watering and over-fertilization can lead to plants with fewer flowers. Cosmos can tolerate dry soil, even in a hot, arid, sunbaked spot.

Cosmos beds may become weedy because they self-seed, so remember to remove flowers before they go to seed or to thin seedlings in the spring.

WHERE DO COSMOS GROW BEST? They like full sun and do not like windy conditions.

Space plants approximately two feet apart; with tall cosmos, space plants closer than the recommended two feet and let them support each other. Both germination and growth are fast, but cosmos plants are frost tender, so don’t be in a rush and wait until perhaps May. WILL THEY SURVIVE WINTER? Cosmos are not hardy plants and if you leave them in your borders over winter there is a real chance they will be killed by a sharp frost, or rot in cold wet soil.

When deadheading, cut the stem back to the first leaf beneath the flowerhead. The perennial chocolate cosmos varieties will need winter protection. Place them in pots until they’ve finished flowering, then shelter over winter in a frost-free place until spring.

CAN YOU PUT COSMOS IN HANGING BASKETS? Tucked into a hanging basket or container, cosmos create a vibrant and showy display. A butterfly attractant, they also attract the winged insects to the

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garden to drink the sweet nectar. Cosmos flowers prefer full sun only and well-drained, nutrient rich soil.

SHOULD YOU PINCH COSMOS FLOWERS? You should pinch out the growing tips of cosmos to encourage branching and flowering, and in around 12 weeks you should see your first blooms.

If you then want to enjoy those flowers in the house as well as in the garden, cosmos make excellent cut flowers. To harvest for cut flowers, cut the cosmos blooms when they are beginning to unfurl in the morning as this is when there will be the most moisture making them less likely to wilt.

Plunge the blooms into a bucket of warm water, stripping off lower leaves to avoid them in the water.

Re-cut the stems regularly and refresh the water and they should last up to ten days in the vase.

15

FLIGHT FOR SURVIVAL OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS OUR GARDENS WILL AGAIN SEE THE ANNUAL DRAMA OF YOUNG BIRDS BEGINNING THEIR LIVES AND STRUGGLING WITH THE DEMANDS TO BE FED AND SURVIVING There is no question that young birds are highly appealing to many carnivorous creatures. Sparrowhawks, for example, rely on a ready supply of inexperienced fledglings to nourish their own chicks.

How long do birds look after their chicks for?

A baby robin on the lookout

As we head deeper into spring there is a significant change in the sounds from birds in the garden.

The melodious bird song starts to give way to squarks and shrieks as it’s time for babies in the garden and their demands to be fed with little regard for the sounds they make.

A fledgling looks fluffy and unkempt, and its wing and tail feathers appear to be too short for it. Far from being immaculate, as a new model should be, it will have an unfinished, imperfect look.

Most of the energy derived from a nestling’s food is diverted into growing as rapidly as possible, not into producing magnificent plumage.

The risks for baby birds leaving the nest Though nests should never be considered as safe homes – being immovable and at the centre of the parents’ attention, they are dangerous places to be – the first day of leaving can be as perilous as any day a young bird will ever face.

For example, starvation is a real possibility; young birds leaving the nest have precious few fat reserves and must find enough food on their first day to fuel their first night.

And they must also, of course, avoid predators.

The first day of leaving the nest can be perilous

16

In truth, the actual commitment of parents to their newly promoted fledglings is quite variable. Most garden birds, including wrens, dunnocks and blackbirds, feed their young for about two and a half weeks before insisting they fend for themselves.

Young starlings join flocks of their peers after only a few days, and young tits, moving up to a canopy that may be literally dripping with caterpillars, may similarly become independent after a week or so.

Parental care has a certain expediency. And that final decision to abandon a chick to its uncertain future is not necessarily made with the newly-fledged’s best interest in mind, either.

Though most parents invest a great deal of effort into their chicks’ welfare, that commitment is inevitably finite, and after a while attention will unconsciously turn to the adults’ next breeding attempt.

For many, this abandonment of first broods is a prerequisite to the rest of the summer. A second brood beckons and the first is history. In some garden birds, it’s all about those results.

A youngster’s weight might need to increase by as much as ten times from the point that it departs the egg to the point that it departs the nest.

That can leave fashionable fixtures such as plumage a little threadbare, though some of the loss is made up in the first few days after leaving. It’s the reason why young birds look so scruffy and forlorn.

Providing seed for seed for adult bird is still useful because it makes their search for food easier leaving them more time for the search for insects.

The best thing you can do to help is to provide an environment to attract insects and that means borders with zero insecticides or weed killer and lawns treated only with a mower.

Q&A on fledglings in your garden What should I do if I find a baby bird in my garden?

Do nothing and leave it alone. If it is a fledgling it will be waiting to receive food from its parent and your presence may even prevent the parent from coming to its help. Trying to return any chick to its nest is a recipe for disaster because you will disturb other youngsters and potentially get them to abandon the nest which they will see as threatened. If you find a poorly feathered chick then it has little chance of survival and might even have been rejected by its parents. You have to leave nature to do its thing.

I think a nest has been abandoned by its parents, is there anything I can do?

It’s the same answer – do nothing. You might get it wrong, and the nest hasn’t been abandoned and by interfering you could be keeping the parents away and putting the fledgelings in more danger.

What do baby birds do when they leave the nest?

Most of the young birds in any garden will be feeding on insects. During the summer there is usually plenty of food available, so you won’t need to help them out.

I have two cats and worry at this time of the year what they might do to young birds?

The best thing you can do is keep cats in at night. Most young birds leave the nest for the first time at dawn and are particularly vulnerable then.

How can I create a better habitat in my garden for breeding birds?

Hedges for shelter, a lawn for grubs and plenty of flowers for insects – that’s the best option. A thorny hedge such as blackthorn will help protect birds from cats and evergreen hedges and are good for early season nesting . You could put up boxes, only one or two in any garden and don’t put them too close together.

The commitment of parents to fledglings can be variable

JOBS FOR THE MONTH

JOBS IN THE

May garden 1

Plan a ‘no mow’ May

2

Here’s a job to avoid this month: lock up your lawnmowers for No Mow May. This campaign by charity Plantlife encourages individuals and local councils to let grass in parks and on verges go wild for a few weeks, allowing dandelions, daisies, clover and other flowers to come into bloom and provide valuable pollen and nectar for bees and other pollinators.

3

May brings many delights to our gardens. But don’t allow your excitement about the growing season ahead to fool you into assuming it’s summer already: this is the month when holding back can pay off in the long run.

It’s still too cold for many tender plants to go outside fulltime. And think about letting go of your mower: leaving lawns to go wild allows all kinds of delights to flower, much to the joy of the bees.

Thinning out – it’s a ‘must do’ job

Thinning out young plants is a necessary evil when it comes to both vegetable crops and annual flowers. If you leave seedlings bunched together, they outcompete each other and the result is stunted growth. For vegetables such as carrots and beetroot, you can eat the pickings; for annual flowers such as love-in-a-mist, pot marigolds and cornflowers, carefully dig up the excess seedlings with their roots intact and you should be able to transplant them into any bare patches.

Flower seeds to sow in May

There’s no shortage of seeds to sow in the May garden, with many now being able to be sown straight into the soil outside.

Sunflowers, cornflowers, zinnias, nasturtiums, nigella, poppies and wildflower mixes can all be sown directly into beds, borders or outdoor containers.

In trays and pots you can start growing biennials and perennials, such as foxgloves, wallflowers, delphiniums, lupins and primroses in the greenhouse or on the windowsill to flower next year and years to come.

4

Do the ‘Chelsea chop’

Cutting the stems of flowering herbaceous perennials such as sedums and asters will keep plants smaller and encourage more flowers. This should not be done on flowers which flower only once, or flowers which are intended to be tall and striking. This is a way of staggering the blooming of plants that flower in bursts over the summer such as rudbeckias, catmint (Nepeta), echinaceas and heleniums.

You can either cut every plant back by a third, or restrict your trimming to some clumps and leave others; either way, it should create bushier plants that flower over a longer period.

5 Prune forsythia Prune forsythia after flowering If you don’t do this every year, as they quickly get unmanageable and flower less well. Using sharp loppers and secateurs cut a quarter of the old growth to the base. Also remove diseased, dead, dying and wispy stems, cutting them to the ground. Finally prune stems that have just flowered to two buds above the previous year’s growth.

6

May is the perfect time for roses

Bare root rose planting season ended in April, so May is the ideal time to buy roses in pots from garden centres or specialist nurseries and plant them out for a dazzling display this summer.

There are so many delightful roses to choose from for different situations – from climbers to miniatures for pots on the patio. Decide where you’d like to add roses, whether you just want to cover a wall or arch, mix in with herbaceous plants or start a dedicated rose garden, Consider your colour scheme, the combination of scents and if you’d like a blaze of flowers in one blooming or repeat-flowering options.

There are two ways to buy roses: as container-grown plants, or as bare root plants.

Bare root plants are usually purchased online or via mail-order and come in a semi dormant or dormant state with no soil on the roots. They are the preferred choice for many gardeners; bare-root roses are generally the best quality and have a wider spread of roots than container plants.

If planting multiple roses, bare root plants are more economical and there’s also a greater variety.

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17

READER’S STORY

7

Feed your flowers and plants

Feeding now will pay dividends later, but you must use a slow-release fertiliser containing potash, to encourage more flowers. A general fertiliser can also be applied to roses, herbaceous plants and fruit. Avoid adding nitrogen-rich plant food: it produces too much leaf.

Vegetables will also respond to enriched soil. The easiest soil enhancer is wellrotted garden compost, so it’s worth making your own if you’re able to. You can also use well-rotted manure, although spreading it in early spring can be backbreaking. However, you can also buy bagged manure from garden centres.

The best way to incorporate organic matter into a vegetable bed is to put some at the base of the planting hole. Squashes and courgettes benefit hugely from sitting above organic material because it aerates and warms the soil.

For brassicas sprinkle on a nitrogen-rich feed, such as chicken pellets or powdered chicken manure, straight after planting. Root crops prefer lighter soil and are generally best grown in soil that hasn’t been enriched.

8

9

Take comfort in comfrey

Comfrey is a wonder plant – its tap root draws up nutrients from deep in the soil, and the leaves store nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, making them perfect for use as fertiliser. You can harvest this foliage to make a liquid plant feed, add as a surface mulch or add to planting holes.

10

Stay on weather watch

At some point in May there is a tipping point: the risk of frost passes, and all the tender plants you’ve been tripping over indoors can be planted outside. So,keep an eye on the weather forecast and look for a rise in night-time temperatures – tomatoes, for instance, need a minimum of 10°C night and day before they can go out into a bed or container. While you’re waiting, harden off summer bedding and other tender plants in preparation for their transfer outside – this means putting them outside somewhere sheltered on warm days to gradually adjust to the conditions. Remember to bring them in before the temperature drops at night.

PLUS...

• Water anything newly planted.

Any veg or flowers planted this spring will need regular watering while they settle in and put down roots into the soil, especially during dry weather. This also applies to any new turf you may have laid.

• It’s best to wait until May before sowing French or runner beans, so they’re ready for planting at the end of the month.

Plants sown too early will turn yellow if planted out too early and will struggle.

• Leeks that were sown last month can be planted outdoors. Allow around 30cm between rows to make weeding easier, and space plants at 15cm-intervals for fullsized leeks.

• Finish planting maincrop varieties, such as ‘King Edward’, by early May for crops in late summer/early autumn. Plant the tubers 40cm apart in rows that are 60-75cm apart.

• You can encourage your tulips to flower again next year by feeding them with tomato feed and removing any flowers that have faded. Bulbs in pots are best removed from the pots after they have finished, and then replanted deeply (around 15cm deep) in the border.

18

‘I am worried about hedgehogs for the first time in my life.’

Hedgehogs are at the heart of so many issues we face Hampshire reader Harry Jeffries writes about how two recent events, both linked to the declining hedgehog population in Britain ended up tugging at his heartstrings I wonder how many of the older readers of your magazine find themselves like me really worried about the future of our wildlife – for the first time in our lives.

I am now just 70 years old and when our two daughters were growing up there didn’t seem to be any blots on the horizon when it came our native wildlife. But now we have grandchildren it becomes an issue which tugs at the heartstrings.

Two things upset me recently.

The first was an innocuous remark that Maddie, our three-year-old granddaughter admitted she had never seen a hedgehog. Is that a fact which fits in with an animal which was once ubiquitous being on the edge of extinction?

The second thing was a quote in some magazine from Mark Cocker who wrote “Nature is slipping away from these islands; slowly, steadily, inexorably, field by field, dyke by dyke.”

Now I know that with age I get more and more emotional, but his quote had made such an impression on me. And I will pitch in and try and do something in whatever small way I can.

I live in rural Hampshire, and it seems to me that a countryside which is unable to sustain hedgehogs is a countryside which is sick. Hedgehogs seem to be at the heart of all the issues we are facing. They are familiar to us in a way that few wild animals are. Yet we have failed them.

Hedgehogs cannot survive without the large numbers of invertebrates which live in a healthy countryside.

So as insects decline so the search that hedgehogs carry out for food gets more

difficult and more dangerous as they cross and travel down roads and face the inevitable problems.

The most recent survey of hedgehog numbers hinted at good news - that hedgehog numbers were stable or even increasing in towns and cities but in the countryside numbers plummet.

One quote I read suggested that in part of the Midlands the population of these animals had declined by 95 per cent.

So, what chance have children there of ever seeing a hedgehog?

I don’t have a solution to this but I suppose I am adding a voice to the concern. The more people care the more they will do something.

Unlike other less charismatic species, the humble hedgehog is the subject of many conservation campaigns and studies, from the Hedgehog Street project, by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) and People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES), to The Woodland Trust, The Wildlife Trusts and RSPCA. The truth is, no-one really knows how many hedgehogs are left because of their solitary and nomadic nature, which makes them notoriously hard to monitor. Gardeners can help and are helping, building hedgehog boxes, allowing safe passage from one garden to the next, proving feeding stations – but why don’t we do something more dramatic.

Let’s make the hedgehog the natural emblem for Britain. Let’s nag the Government to make it a statutory obligation to restore numbers.

And perhaps make the hedgehog the public face of a campaign to restore all our wildlife.

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19

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Garden advice Our May postbag reflects that there’s much more activity in gardens and possibly more problems where help is needed. If you have any queries write to us at Country Gardener, Mount house, Halse, Taunton, Somerset TA4 3AD or via email at editorial@countrygardener.co.uk

Is there a residual weedkiller for brambles? I am again in despair about how to have my garden free of them?

How do I get rid of moss on my lawn? We moved into our cottage three years ago now and the moss is getting worse every season.

Neal Clements Exmouth The answer is yes if you are desperate enough.

You can use a weed killer containing either glyphosate or triclopyr, as these chemicals are the strongest for the job.

However, re-growth is always possible so it’s important to repeat this process any time you see a new spurt.

Strimmers will deal effectively with large areas of woody weeds. Then dig out the bramble stump, taking the roots away at the same time. It is important to remove as much of the below-ground parts as possible, as brambles can regenerate from well below soil level. Seedlings should be weeded out by hand.

Mark Stratton

How can I stop woodlice eating my strawberries, last year I would think they took a third of my crop?

Sara Bentley Waterlow Woodlice only eat decaying material – so they didn’t start the holes themselves. The most likely culprit is, inevitably, slugs.

Crushed eggshells, gardening grit and broken oyster shells can provide a sharp barrier to deter these slimy creatures. It is worth bearing in mind that woodlice are first and foremost scavengers.

You could cover rows of strawberries with floating row covers in summer to prevent adult insects from laying eggs in your strawberries. Or use a homemade spray made from garlic or hot pepper mixed with water to spray plants.

Cirencester You may not like this, but the best answer is hard work!

Raking has always been the ideal method for removing moss. For small lawns a fan rake will do but for larger lawns a powered lawn raker or scarifier is best.

Moss produces spores generally in April. It spores again in September. Therefore, doing the business before sporing, is generally a good idea.

There can be problems though. When performing any invasive treatment, you need the lawn to be able to recover and repair itself in as short a time as possible. If it doesn’t then you may swap a weed problem for your moss problem! So, this means warmth, fertiliser and moisture must be available to get the grass recovering.

Therefore, leaving the raking until early to mid-April (but before sporing) allows things to warm up a little. There is usually plenty of moisture around and the timing will be right for a fertiliser application afterwards. If you want to use a moss killer, then there are warnings attached. The most common procedure is to apply a moss killer, wait a couple of weeks and then rake the moss out. The reasoning is you can spread the moss to other parts of your lawn if it is alive thus causing an even bigger problem. Applying a moss killer product (granular or liquid) to the lawn will never kill all the moss. Some moss may be too deep for the treatment to penetrate all the way. When you rake you will now spread this remaining live moss around, partially defeating the object of applying moss killer in the first place!

Are there any magnolias which flower twice? I have a lovely tree which is a wonder in early spring and perhaps I am being greedy, but I’d like another show.

Julie Varney Bath Yes, magnolia trees can bloom twice a year, but it is not common. Some varieties can bloom once in early spring and once in late summer. Chinese or Saucer Magnolia (Magnolia x soulangeana) varieties are the ones that most often bloom twice. Besides the different varieties, health is another factor influencing the flowering frequency. These trees are a bit fussy and require an optimum position to produce flowers. The other requirements are full sun, proper water, and high-quality soil.

20

Country Gardener

My conifers are dead at the base. They are now very unsightly so I wonder if there is anything I can do about it.

Conifers don’t recover from the bottom up that’s for certain. It depends on what the tree is like further up. If the tops are fine then tidy up the dead lower branches and give the tree a few more years. If it is all too unsightly then get rid of them. Saw them off as close to the base as possible. They don’t regrow from a stump either.

How can I get rid of ants? I am fed up with them in my garden and would like a permanent solution if possible.

Bob Gallimore Ilminster First things first. Perhaps you should consider whether the ants are truly pests or just a mild nuisance before acting.

In the summer, you will spot convoys of ants going to and fro in your garden.

Some may have even made it into your home in search of sugar or anything else they can get their mandibles on. Like most garden pests, ants will generally do their own thing without bothering anyone else.

Ants can be beneficial to your garden. Since they are predators, they hunt other insects that live in your lawn and can aid pollination while they are foraging.

However, ants like to build nests around the root system of plants, which can stunt growth and leave plants more vulnerable to disease.

So, the options are well versed ones. The most widely known natural ant extermination method is using boiling water. Simply locate as many entrances to the nest as possible and pour boiling water inside. You may have to do this repeatedly until all the ants are dead. Then there’s white vinegar. Pouring around one litre of white vinegar directly into the nest can work wonders. It is not harmful to the ground or your plants, but it will kill the ants on contact.

How should I treat seaweed before using it in the garden? We have access to lots of it here in north Devon.

John Pearson Croyde Moderation is important when applying seaweed in the garden. It can be very beneficial but only in controlled quantities. Seaweed layered on top of soil will help improve its condition. If you want to avoid the smell of decomposing seaweed in the garden, you can leave it to dry, then crush and sprinkle it over the soil. Small amounts of dried seaweed can be ground in an old food processor and sprinkled around plants.

GARDENING

words F1 Hybrids

What burned my hydrangea leaves? Last year they went dark brown and very sad looking.

Annie Ball Portsmouth All hydrangeas will turn brown if they wilt too many times in hot weather. Water them deeply every few days in the heat of the summer – hand watering isn’t deep enough and mulch around plants to hold moisture in the soil longer. You might have to add fertiliser moderately to avoid root damage and light summer pruning will help reduce the water needs of the plant but may also reduce flowering.

Dean Bentley Bridgwater Water in the mornings, if you can, as this is when the sun comes up and plants will start to use water. The foliage and soil surface are also likely to stay drier for longer than evening watering, discouraging slugs, snails and mildew diseases. Plants start to transpire in sunlight, drawing water from the soil, through their roots, up their stems and out through tiny pores on their leaves called stomata. The only argument for evening watering is that cooler conditions mean less water is lost to evaporation.

Watering in the heat of the day is not a good idea as much water is lost through evaporation from the surface of the soil and the plants will use water more efficiently if watered in the cooler parts of the day. If the surface of the soil or compost is dry, that does not necessarily mean that the plant needs water. Water is needed at the root tips, so surface moisture is not always a good indicator. If using the touch test, push your finger down into the compost or soil to at least knuckle depth to see if it is damp, rather than just feeling the surface.

The term refers to the selective breeding of a plant by cross pollinating two different parent plants.

A lot is written now about the desirability of heirloom plant varieties over F1 plants. What are F1 hybrid seeds?

F1 hybrid seeds refers to the selective breeding of a plant by cross pollinating two different parent plants. In genetics, the term is an abbreviation for Filial 1- literally ‘first children.’

It is sometimes written as F1, but the terms mean the same.

How long will my roses live for? I have just invested in a lot of them for my new Hampshire garden and would like to know their life span.

Jodie Palmer Petersfield There will be no definite answer to this as sadly it depends on too many factors such as variety, health of the plant and so on. But with the right care that provides proper location, pruning and protection from pests and disease, a good quality health rose should last 20 to 30 years. There has been a recent trend that some modern roses only last about ten years, but some climbing and species roses can 50 years or longer.

Should I water my garden and plants in the morning or the evening?

DEFINITION

Plant breeders seek to make better plants. They do this by controlling how plants interbreed or ‘cross’. By crossing selected plants with different but desirable features, they produce a plant that has the best features of both parents. This is then crossed further to produce a stable plant whose seeds produce plants that are true to type.

An example might be crossing a tomato with large orange fruits with one that has small very sweet red fruits in order to produce a tomato with small, very sweet orange fruits.

Why does my fig tree planted four years ago not produce fruit? It has become frustrating, and I was hopeful of getting some fruit by now.

Ed Cudworth Exeter

The most common reason for a fig tree not producing fruit is simply its age. Trees, like animals, need to reach a certain maturity before they can produce offspring. Fruit is how a fig tree creates seeds. If the fig tree is not old enough to produce seeds, it will also not produce fruit. In early spring the tree will appreciate a feed with a balanced general-purpose fertiliser followed by a mulch of well-rotted manure or compost.

Once the fruits appear in early summer, you can encourage them to flourish with an application of liquid tomato fertiliser each fortnight until they begin to ripen. So be patient a little longer.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

There are several techniques used to cross plants but producing F1 hybrids is one of the commonest and most effective methods.

The use of F1 plants really blossomed when people began to do more vegetable shopping in grocery store chains than in their own gardens.

Plant breeders sought more uniform colour and size, looked for more definite harvest deadlines, and durability in shipping. Today, plants are developed with a specific purpose in mind and not all those reasons are about commerce. Some F1 seeds may mature faster and flower earlier, making the plant more suitable for shorter growing seasons. There might be higher yields from certain F1 seeds that will result in larger crops from smaller acreage. One of the most important accomplishments of hybridisation is disease resistance.

F1 hybrids, which are largely annual and vegetable cultivars, are produced by crossing two stable seed lines (called inbred lines) that give rise to especially uniform progeny that possess good vigour, yield and other properties. Tomato ‘Cristal’ F1 and sunflower ‘Harlequin’ F1 are examples of F1 hybrids. It will say on the seed packet if the variety is F1.

The downside to all this is that F1 seeds are often more expensive because they cost more to produce. All that hand pollination doesn’t come cheap, nor does the laboratory testing these plants undergo.

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22

Country Gardener

Plugged in to success Former Devon nurseryman Steve Jordan was a great advocate of plug plants during his career and now as an amateur gardener feels they are much underrated

Why do gardeners feel guilty about buying plug plants? Is it because they feel they are less proper gardeners by not raising everything from seed?

Steven Jordan ran a Devon nursery selling plug plants large and small for 12 years before retiring last year. He was ill with Covid for four months and decided to call his professional horticultural career a day. He is however a passionate gardener on his one-and-a-half-acre plot and still feels plug plants provide the busy gardener with help.

“Truth be told I had a down on plug plants for a while,” he said.

“I changed my mind when I saw there was a demand from customers who saw them as a half-way house, something exactly between seeds and a mature plant.

“I started selling plug plants of all sizes because I had a lot of customers asking for them.

They felt they wanted a bit of help, whether it was because they had left it too late to sow or simply because they didn’t have the time to raise plants in the traditional way.

“I always said that it is a question of timing. It doesn’t always mean that plug plants can be put straight into the soil. If you do, they might get polished off by slugs as they will be tender and vulnerable. They need a bit of cossetting and growing on before they are sufficiently robust and have enough top growth to see them through the first few weeks of planting out.

“May is the perfect time to set plug plants off on their journey. The weather in most years is ideal for them to become established quickly and flourish”.

“Buying plug plants gives gardeners the luxury of leaving the professional grower to take care of the trickier early stages and to step in once the young plants are a little more established and then grow them, each in their own plug of compost, until they are ready to be potted up or planted into their final positions.

“How much work you need to do with plug plants and the price you pay for them depends on how big they are when you buy them. The smaller they are, the lower the price – but the more TLC they’ll need.

“After checking the newly arrived plants you need to give them a good soak. If the rootballs dry out they will be very difficult to remoist and the plants will become dessicated.”

Mini plugs are the first of the season, filling garden centres and nurseries from late February. These need the most attention and time to grow on in trays or pots. They will need to be transplanted and grown on a windowsill, or in a greenhouse or conservatory, before planting out ready to flower.

‘May is the perfect time to set plug plants off on their journey. The weather in most years is ideal for them to become established quickly and flourish’ Standard plugs come next and require potting and growing on for a month or so if you want filler plants for beds and containers.

Garden-ready plug plants are usually healthy, well-established plants in pots and can be planted straight out into their final position in the garden, though these may also benefit from being grown on for a few weeks in a large pot, for sturdier roots.

The smaller the plant the more TLC it will need

Potting on Plug plants should be potted on into larger pots or trays as soon as possible after you have purchased them.

Water your plants so they are just moist. The best way to do this is to place them in a container of water and allow them to soak it up from the roots.

Fill a small pot or seed tray with good quality, free draining multipurpose compost and make a hole in the centre, roughly the same size as the plug plant. Gently pinch the bottom of the plug and push up from the bottom gently holding it by the leaves. Place the root ball in the hole ensuring the stem is at the same level in the compost as it was before and firm the compost lightly around the plug.

Gently water the freshly potted plants and allow any excess to drain away. Place them somewhere well lit, ventilated and reasonably warm such as a greenhouse or windowsill.

After two to three weeks feed them with a balanced liquid feed and repeat every ten to 14 days.

Hardening off and planting out Once your plants are sturdy and well grown, you can harden them off ready for planting outdoors. This just means acclimatising them to lower outdoor temperatures for a week or two by putting them outside in a sheltered spot during the day and bringing them back in at night. If temperatures drop below 5°C keep them inside until the colder weather is over.

When the plants are well rooted into the compost, and the risk of frost has passed, your plugs should be ready for planting out into their final position. Once in the ground, water regularly, especially in dry sunny spells.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

23

BEES & WILDLIFE

Why SAVING

BEES is so important

Gardeners now play a vital part in the future of bees and other pollinators as we allow our gardens to become wilder, plant more wildflowers and try to help by growing sources of nectar and pollen If anyone doubted the importance of bees there are some simple facts to consider.

The greatest contribution of bees and other pollinators is the pollination of nearly three quarters of the plants that produce 90per-cent of the world’s food.

A third of the world’s food production depends on bees so that is every third spoonful of food depending on pollination.

It takes more than soil, water, and sunshine to make the world green. Bees also play a vital role in the environment!

Bees make excellent pollinators because most of their life is spent collecting pollen, a source of protein that they feed to their developing offspring. When a bee lands on a flower, the hairs all over the bees’ body attract pollen grains through electrostatic forces. Stiff hairs on their legs enable them to groom the pollen into specialized brushes or pockets on their legs or body, and then carry it back to their nest.

Individual bees tend to focus on one kind of flower at a time, which means it is more likely that pollen from one flower will be transferred to another flower of the same species by a particular bee.

Many plants require this kind of pollen distribution, known as cross-pollination,

in order to produce viable seeds. The business of collecting pollen requires a lot of energy, and so many flowers attract and reward bees with nectar, a mixture of water and sugars produced by plants.

We can all help pollinating species in spring by growing sources of nectar and pollen, which can be in short supply at this time of year. Even just a small patch in a tiny garden will make a huge difference – the key is to choose the right plants. Opt for plants with nectar-rich, single flowers rather than double blooms, which are harder for pollinators to access and may not contain any nectar or pollen.

Aim for a broad range of plants, so you provide nectar and pollen from early in the growing season, right through to the very end. And remember, both native and non-native plants can be valuable sources of nectar and pollen.

We shouldn’t forget the wider role of other wildlife and of wildflowers.

Gardeners now play a huge part in the ongoing struggle to allow bees and other pollinators to do their work by taking a wildlife friendly and natural approach.

More of us are now purchasing bee friendly plants, planting wildflower meadows ,moving more of our gardens over to encourage wildlife and diversity.

Wilding is more common as gardens become perhaps less tidy and the concern for the fate of the bees and other pollinators is no longer abstract.

Wildflowers and wildlife friendly plants equally play a vital role in this and in the wider process of attracting wildlife and not just bees but butterflies and other insects which play a part in the complex workings of a garden’s infrastructure.

Sowing a wildflower garden no matter how small will help as many of our favourite flowers rely on these insects to set seed. Bluebells, foxgloves, comfrey and clovers are perhaps the best known and have a powerful impact.

Bee.Watch - keeping bees and their problems in view Beekeeping is as seasonal as gardening, with lots to do in the spring and the Bee.Watch Beekeeper app makes full use of smartphones to keep records about activities in the apiary, using unique QR codes for easy hive and apiary management.

Colonies of bees started serious foraging in the spring sun and the queens were laying to build up the colonies for the season from typically 5,000 to as many as 50,000 bees.

Bee.Watch, one app, multiple applications. Applications include: Beekeeper (Apiary Management), Non-Beekeeper (Pesticide Management), Bystander (Citizen Science), Swarm Harvest and ApiTrace. All apps are accessible on PC’s, smartphones, and tablets, and work anywhere, including areas with no GSM signal.

The Bystander app links residents with local commercial pesticide users, beekeepers, and biodiversity, in real-time. Changes often happen quickly and comparing incidents even within a year can help us understand the challenges our environment faces.

Bee.Watch systems have been localised in Africa. Honeybees are the number one worldwide indicator of a healthy, sustainable environment. The development of ApiTrace, a traceability system for bee products for sub-Saharan countries has been progressing since 2020.

For more information visit www.bee.watch or email the Bee.Watch team bee.watch@uwatch.co.uk

Friday, May 20th is World Bee Day, designed to acknowledge the positive impact that bees and other pollinators have on our ecosystem.

This year it highlights and confronts the negative impact the pandemic has had on the beekeeping industry globally.

Not only do our bees help provide the honey, propolis and beeswax contained in a range of products, they also help to keep us all fed and watered! Without their tireless work, over a third of everything we eat would disappear from our tables.

Hive Management Citizen Science Pesticide Reporting

Twenty-first century beekeeping

@thebeewatchapp 24

What can you do?

World Bee Day and how you can get involved

Don’t step on a bee! (Of course) Support your local beekeeper! The majority of our honey in the UK is imported but with the wealth of bee keepers on our doorstep there is really no need for quite so much imported produce. Support your local bee keeper by visiting a near-by farm shop or deli and enjoy their precious produce.

Download the Great British Bee Count app.

This app created by Friends of the Earth allows you to log the bees you spot out and about. This builds a picture of bee health and activity in the UK to secure a thriving future for our buzzing bees! You can find out more about the app here.

Build a bee hotel! Did you know that bees need somewhere to rest when they venture out on their pollen mission? Get the kids involved and get building!

Honey traceability and opportunities for beekeepers in Africa

The Upstairs Downstairs Hive Intrance, the most radical change to beekeeping in 170 years

www.bee.watch Country Gardener

bee.watch@uwatch.co.uk

01491 651229

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25

BEES & WILDLIFE

Spring feeding of birds is still essential

Charlotte’s wilder view of life in gardens

Charlotte Hastings has enjoyed a lifelong fascination with the outdoors, plants and design. Her Weston-super-Mare based garden design business reflects her passion about wild spaces, connecting people with nature and gardens for wellbeing.

Here she suggests gardeners should allow in a little wildness “Traditionally we want control over our outside spaces, with a desire to keep them neat and tidy. However, we are increasingly seeing the beauty and benefits of a more natural approach.

“This is of course, not only great for increasing biodiversity and wildlife but also for the mind. With the theme of RHS Chelsea this year being wild and naturalistic, this trend is sure to be here to stay for the foreseeable future.

“Native plants are adapted to local conditions, benefit local wildlife and are often easier to care for. Why not take a stroll through your local countryside to see what is thriving in your area. Grow wild strawberry, Fragaria vesca, alongside path edges, Helleborus foetidus an evergreen perennial thriving in shady sites and flowering for several months from early spring and Eupatorium cannabinum for interest later in the year and a magnet for butterflies.

“However, you choose to go a little wild this year in your own garden, the benefits will be sure to follow.” www.charlottehastingsgardenndesign.com

Maker of fine beekeeping apparel –proven protection since 1968 Beekeeping can be a delightful and rewarding pastime in combination with creating a beautiful garden. Sherriff is the original selling brand of fine quality beekeepers clothing incorporating the company’s own designed self-supporting bee hood.

The benefits of bees is well known – these perfect pollinators benefit the plant growing process, increasing the yield of top fruit and amongst others, herb flowers with their high sugar content in nectar is very beneficial to bees and efficient pollination can lead to a good honey harvest.

Beekeepers themselves running 400 hives it was important to design a range of practical beekeeping apparel and be well protected.

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Feeding wild birds in the spring is important as it helps give birds plenty of energy during a busy season of survival. Many birds will have returned after a long migration, so need to replenish energy and fat stores.

They will also need to find a mate and build a nest. so it is vital you keep feeding wild birds.

Here are top five spring feeding suggestions: • Spring and Summer Mix Bird Food • Mealworms • Black Sunflower Seeds • Fruit • Bug Filled Food Make sure your feeders and bird tables are nice and clean, ready for fresh seed. If you can, put out a bird bath and give it a good scrub.

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ALL A - BUZZ AT BLACKBURY HONEY FARM May is a wonderful month to visit Blackbury Honey Farm near Colyton in Devon.

In the pollinator gardens, paeonies, foxgloves, aquilegias, lupins and a host of other cottage garden favourites are appearing.

Beyond the formal gardens, a twenty-acre wildflower meadow delights the senses with its gentle wash of natural countryside blooms, alive with honeybees, bumblebees, and early butterflies all in search of nectar and pollen to build themselves up after the long winter. You will need to tread carefully and keep to the mown paths as the ground nesting skylarks will be busy too.

All around the grounds, fruit trees are a riot of blossom and the vegetable garden and polytunnel are in lush growth, providing salads, vegetables and herbs for the home -made produce.

Blackbury Honey Farm, Southleigh, Colyton EX24 6JF Tel: 01404 871600 www.blackburyfarm.co.uk

ROSYBEE: PLANTS FOR POLLINATORS

Rosybee specialises in plants that attract lots of pollinators, helping to make your garden wildlifefriendly. The range is based on eight years of research to ensure they provide plants that maximise the pollinator food supply.

The research and plenty more tips on wildlife gardening can be found on the website. The plants are sold in trays of six that offer great value. All the plants are peat-free, pesticide-free and in recycled plastic trays.

www.rosybee.com

BACKDOORS SHOES GO FOR A BEE-THEMED LOOK Footwear specialists Backdoorshoes has done its part in promoting the importance of bees in our gardens with one of its latest designs. The company has introduced more designs to their already vast range of waterproof, lightweight garden clogs to include of course bees.

Perfect footwear to slip on/off and nip outdoors to tend to the garden, walk the dog and even put out the bins! Prices start from £32.95 including free standard delivery. Sizes available from UK 3 to14.

There are a range of flip flops featuring their unique prints to include poppies, meadow, grass and camo. However, as the weather is changing all the time there are a wide variety of Ultralight Wellies or Chelsea boots to choose from.

Footwear for all weather and proud to be British designed For the full range please call 01202 232357 or visit www.backdoorshoes.co.uk 26

Propolis – creating balance in the body BeeVital produce the largest range of quality propolis products in the UK, backed up by decades of research managed by their own chemists and researchers. Their knowledge and understanding of the problems and opportunities are considerable and here share some of the background to the problems.

WHY THE BEES ARE DYING In 2013 60p er-cent of all the honeybees in the United States died. Honeybees were leaving healthy hives and not coming back. It came to be known as Colony Collapse Disorder.

Basically, the bees gave up. The complex and mysterious glue that kept the colonies together lost its power and the superorganism that is the beehive fell apart. Colony Collapse Disorder is a symbol of what happens when you push nature to its limit. Eventually it gives up.

PROPOLIS: THE HONEYBEES’ IMMUNE SYSTEM For human beings it’s our immune system that makes sure that everything works in harmony and steps in when there is imbalance. For the honeybee its propolis that performs this function. Propolis, a word coined by Aristotle, means ‘Defender of the City’.

Honeybees makes propolis from plant and tree resins. The resins produced by the poplar tree are a particular favourite Country Gardener

for the bees in temperate climates. They process the resins through their enzymatic system and add wax. The result is propolis, a complex blend of around 300 biochemicals which the bees use to defend their colonies.

HOW THE BEES USE PROPOLIS Bees build the entrance to the hive with propolis, creating an antibacterial tunnel through which all the bees pass.

Propolis supports every cell in the honeycomb, without it the comb would not be able to carry its own weight.

HOW YOU CAN USE PROPOLIS Propolis works in a similar way for humans as it does for the bees. Propolis is an adaptogen. It creates balance in the body, supporting our whole immune system. As well being able to disarm bacteria it keeps you well by supporting your body’s own ability to fight infections.

Propolis works as an antiviral by sealing up the protein coating of the virus preventing it from invading the cells it is in contact with. Coughs and colds are helped by propolis, as is fever and inflammation.

Its anti-inflammatory properties make propolis the gardener’s friend. Propolis capsules can be taken to treat inflammation, such as short or long-term joint problems.

Propolis creams and gels can help heal those everyday gardeners’ cuts and bruises, as well as stopping hands from cracking. www.beevitalpropolis.com

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Country Gardener

BEES & WILDLIFE

Easterhill Herbs and Willow put nature first Easterhill Herbs and Willow in Starcross, is a small family run nursery sensitively growing herbs, wildlife friendly flowers, perennial vegetables and willows.

Butterflies, bees, and birds can be encouraged by planting a diversity of plants for their flowers, seeds and berries. Native wildflowers, pollen rich perennials, herbs and vegetable plants can enrich and create wildlife friendly gardens.

Recommendations are available.

In the vegetable garden a wildlife friendly natural approach to maintaining healthy crops can be achieved by companion planting. Flowering plants such as calendula, sage, nasturtium can entice pollinators, divert aphids away from crops, or encourage natural predation of unwanted pests from insects such as ladybirds and hoverflies.

Willows have huge wildlife benefit with early spring catkins a source of nectar and pollen for bees, the leaves are specific for some rare moth caterpillars.

The nursery pursues environmentally sensitive practice including using peat-free compost, recycled pots and chemical free management. reallyusefulplants@outlook.com www.reallyusefulplants.co.uk

Why are our bees disappearing?

Bees are important, not just because they make honey but because they pollinate our plants and crops, ensuring their existence. Are you aware that about one-third of the world’s food supply depends on bee pollination? So, what’s causing the decline, and most importantly, what can we do to reverse this trend?

Recent findings show that habitat loss, parasites, pesticide exposure, and other factors have impacted bee populations worldwide. Luckily, we can still help support bee populations and reverse the decline, for example, by eliminating the use of chemicals in our garden, planting more trees and organically grown plants for the benefit of the bees, designing and building bee and pollinator-friendly gardens, increasing the number of bee baths and educating our future generation about the importance of bees.

If you want to learn more about helping bee populations in your garden turn for more information to www.organicgardener.co.uk

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www.bjsherriff.com 29

WOW LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT! The West Country now leads the way when it comes to growing giant vegetables with a host of shows this autumn welcoming competitions to show off the huge varieties of fruit and vegetables where growing these monsters is often seen as a sport.

Giant vegetables are freaks. Pumpkins almost the size of a car. Cucumbers as big as a four-year-old child. Onions as big as your head.

Growers of these monsters deny the accusation that they are freaks. They say they are applying traditional growing and gardening skills and techniques but just using specialist seeds.

It is they say, a rewarding, competitive and fun experience.

The European Giant Vegetable Growers Association says there has never been more gardeners now growing giant varieties. The hobby took off during the pandemic lockdown and has stayed with gardeners who now want to enter competitions, show off their efforts and win acclaim.

When it comes to growing giant veg you need to give yourself plenty of space 30

Competitions are dedicated to giants, many in the West Country with the extremely keen participants calling growing giant vegetables a sport.

Many of us have a penchant for the giant, as in giant vegetables. At autumn fairs, county fairs, town events and village shows there is now a regular theme of ‘growing big’ - giant pumpkin displays of bloated, yet solid gargantuan forms are always populated by delighted onlookers who are simultaneously repulsed and attracted to the giant blobs of vegetable flesh.

For Britain’s giant-vegetable growers, this year and this autumn promises to be a vintage year with records again under threat .Three world records were set last year in September: the world’s heaviest red cabbage (31.6kg), the world’s longest salsify (5.6 metres) and the world’s longest beetroot (8.6 metres). Ian and Stuart Paton, 59-year-old twins from Lymington in Hampshire, grew the UK’s heaviest-ever pumpkin, which weighed in at a monstrous 1,176.5kg.

Interest in giant vegetables swelled in lockdown as people spent more time in their gardens.

Flavour and texture suffer with some giant vegetables like carrots, but others like onions and cabbage remain very edible. Thousandhead kale, a 19th century fodder crop kale from France and the UK, has three-foot long leaves that even in summer are sweet and flavourful without getting hot and tough.

Plants need to be able to grow both above and below ground without competition for sunlight or water and nutrients. When you first plant a cabbage start, it seems ridiculous to space them even two feet apart. Yet spacing large-size varieties at least five to six feet apart is about right. Leaves will be gigantic and occupy a huge space when the plant is mature.

Soil depth is extremely important, too. Roots need to be able to grow easily to their full depth and width. A shallow raised bed on top of compacted soil is not the Country Gardener

right environment for good root growth. Whether you are growing in large containers, raised beds or in the ground, soil depth is crucial.

Many of those involved in growing giants for competition grow their prize vegetables in containers. For example, each onion or leek will have its own roughly ten-gallon or larger container. Carrots, parsnips and daikon radish may be grown individually in very long lengths up to eight feet of six-inch diameter PVC pipe. Other crops are grown individually in about 25-gallon pots or in repurposed 55-gallon upright plastic barrels.

The secrets of ‘going large’ CHOOSE THE RIGHT SEED

Whichever variety of vegetable you are going to grow, you need the right genetics to grow something big, so research your seed carefully. Some can be purchased at garden centres; others are available from specialists.

For things like pumpkins, marrows and cucumbers, go to someone who’s winning and ask them for some seed.

Some growers might be covetous, but most aren’t. and like to think they belong to something of a not very elite club.

There’s a lot of giant growing information available through websites such as giantveg.co.uk, growing forums and organisations like the European Giant Vegetable Growers Association.

GIVE YOURSELF PLENTY OF SPACE If you are going to grow large vegetables, you need plenty of space. It sounds obvious but one of the most common mistakes is trying to restrict the growing areas of the vegetables. If you’re going to grow a decent pumpkin, you’ll need 1,000 square feet of ground. But with parsnips, carrots and onions, you don’t need so much ground. A parsnip will take around 3ft.

CHECK SOWING DATES Sowing dates will depend on the veg grown. Giant greenhouse cucumbers can be sown in May, while some giant growing experts sow cabbages in November where they are overwintered in a frost-free greenhouse to plant out in the spring. 1st April is a popular date for sowing pumpkin seeds.

WATERING REGIMES Abundant and regular water is crucial to growing giant vegetables. Water use is a concern for us all, but a few well-watered vegetables in large containers or the ground will not be big water users, especially if kept mulched with compost. Full sun is a must. Many growers use drip irrigation systems on a timer which compensate for rain.

FEED THEM VERY WELL Be aware that different veg need different fertilisers. Plants grown for the fruit, such as tomatoes and pumpkins, will need fertilisers high in potassium and phosphorous, while leafy veg will need a higher nitrogen mix.

Giant cucumbers should be grown up a single stem, taking out the side-shoots so you just have one cucumber per plant.

Once this period is over start feeding the plant, just the root system and not the leaves. You can use diluted chicken pellets. Put a couple of handfuls in a bucket, fill with water, and let it break down. This is the perfect food, but a word of warning, it smells. You don’t have to feed the plant. It will still produce fruit but if you want a giant, you should. If you are going to feed, do so every week until harvest.

DO GIANT VEGETABLES TASTE DIFFERENT? One of the most often asked questions about giant fruit and vegetables is: ‘Do they taste any different?’ Or put another way: ‘Are giant vegetables edible?’ The answer is they can of course be eaten but often giant varieties are obviously grown for the attribute of their shocking size, not flavour.

Some giant vegetable growers say it depends on the fruit or vegetable. Generally, they have more flavour as they are grown for longer. A typical giant cabbage is grown for seven months, twice as long as an ordinary cabbage, but big enough to feed 100 people.

A giant onion is mild in flavour say growers as it has a higher water content.

And one tomato could feed a family in soup for lunch!

SIZE DOES MATTER - OFFICIALLY Do some research and decide what giant veggie varieties you would like to attempt to grow. There is quite a variety beyond the gigantic pumpkin, although those are quite dramatic with the world’s record going to a 1,400 pound behemoth. Giant veggie varieties of broccoli (35 lbs., 16 kg.), carrot (19 lbs., 8.5 kg.), beet (43 lbs., 19 kg.), celery (49 lbs, 22 kg.), and red cabbage (45 lbs, 20 kg.) to name a few, are some of the massive produce that can be grown.

SUPPORT AND MORE SUPPORT A stake in the ground, with strong nylon string attached to a pole above, will allow for the cucumber to grow vertically. Cucumbers need to be wound around the string.

Fleece is often needed tied around the middle of the cucumber as it becomes heavier, attached to string which is secured vertically to a frame above. The stem itself won’t hold the weight of the cucumber.

Square frames are often needed support cabbages, which sit on top of the frame, taking the weight off the stump.

MAINTAIN THE CROPS Keep your crops weed and pest-free. Some crops, including pumpkins and marrows, don’t like too much wind if you grow them outside. They may need a windbreak around them. Some things are grown inside in tunnels, with automatic watering systems underneath them.

GROWING IN TIME FOR THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Expert growers will be working towards displaying their longest and heaviest vegetables at the CANNA UK National Giant Vegetable Championships when it forms part of the Great Malvern Autumn show on 23rd, 24th and 25th September.

The show takes place at the Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcestershire WRT13 6NW Almost every year sees world records broken in many categories, officiated by representatives from the Guinness World Records.

Entry forms from www.malvernautumn.co.uk

The winning line up at last year’s show

www.countrygardener.co.uk

31

GREAT PLACES TO VISIT

Now’s the perfect time for a day out visiting a garden May and June are the peak times when it comes to garden visits and over the next few weeks there’s a huge selection of gardens open, large and small, plant fairs, shows and fetes to enjoy.

We all love our gardens, being out in the fresh air and finally seeing at first hand spring arrive and the dramatic burst of growth and activity everywhere we look.

But gardening isn’t all about hard work. It’s about the pleasure of taking a break and enjoying a day out - in one of the great selection of regional gardens, many of which are just thrilled to be back to normal after two Covid disrupted years. The work which goes into these gardens is immense as owners prepare for visitors, many of them open for charities, others hosting plant fairs and fetes.

And when it comes to NGS Gardens Open then May and June sees the peak of activity with 2022 boasting record numbers of gardens being on view to support the popular charity.

The appeal of days out in gardens, fairs and fetes is almost irresistible. Perhaps more than anywhere else in Britain the southwest has a wonderful choice of options for the hard - working gardener to see the fruits of someone else’s labours.

Here’s just a few ideas to tempt you.

WALLED GARDENS COMBINE CLASSIC AND MODERN FLORAL ATTRACTIONS

The Walled Gardens of Cannington is a popular RHS partner garden with a Grade 1 listed medieval priory backdrop. It boasts a mix of classic and modern features, including a ‘hot’ border, sub-tropical walk, blue garden, Mediterranean garden, shade border, Southern hemisphere and a winter garden. It is also home to Somerset’s only botanical glasshouse, featuring hundreds of different species from around the world such as the magnificent jade vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys). There’s also a gift shop, tearoom and specialist plant nursery; plants are propagated on-site and sold at great prices! The gardens are open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am, year-round excluding two weeks at Christmas. Closing times vary depending on the season.

Church Street, Cannington TA5 2HA Tel: 01278 655042

Cadhay re-opens for a new colourful season Cadhay gardens and tearooms will be open again for the new season on Friday afternoons from 6th May. It is always exciting to see these popular gardens coming to life again and this year it seems to have happened more suddenly than ever.

The allotment holders have been busy on their plots which promises well. Such is the joy of gardening in a walled garden the owners have had to dig new plots to cope with the demand for allotments.

The gardens open at 2pm on Fridays and will also be open on the Saturday, Sunday and Monday of the last weekend in May (entrance fees for the NGS). This is not the bank holiday weekend which has moved to June.

It is hoped that guided tours of the house will again take place this year.

Cadhay, Ottery Saint Mary EX11 1QT For more details see cadhay.org.uk

Cerne Abbas gardens open returns to traditional June weekend Cerne Abbas village has been opening some of its private gardens since 1974 and this year returns to the traditional June weekend when roses should be at their best. The dates are Saturday, 18th June and Sunday, 19th June, open from 2pm to 6pm with entry to all gardens £7, accompanied children free.

Organisers anticipate having more than 25 gardens open, all within easy walking distance of the free car park which is open from 1pm to 8pm. A few of the gardens can accommodate wheelchairs and most gardens welcome wellbehaved dogs on leads, these will be identified on the maps from the website www.cerneabbasopengardens.org.uk Teas will be available in St Mary’s Church, and there will be the popular plant stall in the village square.

More than 25 gardens are expected to open

KITCHEN GARDEN PLANT CENTRE TAKE THEIR HERBS OUT ON THE ROAD The Kitchen Garden Plant Centre in Newent, Gloucestershire is a family business growing and selling the highest quality herbs and edible plants. The nursery team will be out and about over the spring and summer and you will be able to see their herbs at Gardeners’ World Live Spring Fair in Beaulieu, RHS Malvern Spring Festival and RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Their herbs are grown using peat free compost, without the use of pesticides, in recyclable pots.

The online orders are packaged hand rolled in corrugated cardboard to ensure your plants arrive to your door nursery fresh, use code CountryGardenerMAY22 for a 10 per cent online discount.

Also see their online events page for food festivals, markets and flower shows to attend near you. Find them at www.sowmegrowme.com

NEED AN EXTRA PAIR OF HANDS IN

your garden?

Head Gardeners and Garden Owners: enthusiastic and hard-working help two days a week can be yours.

Take on a WRAGS (Work and Retrain as a Gardener) trainee and you will get a dedicated and willing helper, plus the satisfaction of nurturing the next generation of gardeners.

Your part of the deal? You pay the trainee the National Living Wage and provide horticultural training.

WRAGS is a unique scheme, administered by the WFGA, designed for career changers and those returning to work.

Our trainees are keen to learn and hard workers.

For more information: admin@wfga.org.uk wfga.org.uk

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Country Gardener

Elkstone

OPEN GARDENS DAY Sunday 19th June 2022 2 - 6pm

Tea Room & Walled Garden Nursery

WELL BEHAVED DOGS ON LEADS WELCOME

Visit beautiful private gardens, see our very special Norman church, hear the church bells, and enjoy homemade afternoon teas, refreshments, and ice creams will also be available, there will be a plant stall to browse and more.

Car Park free, Adults £5, Children under 14 free No dogs allowed in gardens

www.elkstonevillage.com PROCEEDS HELP SUPPORT OUR CHURCH AND VILLAGE HALL

Nestled in the heart of North Devon, Marwood Hill Garden is a hidden gem Home to four National Plant Heritage collections, this private valley garden spans over 20-acres and showcases three stunning lakes, rare trees & shrubs, and colourful surprises throughout each season. Not only a haven for wildlife, the garden is also the perfect environment to explore and be inspired.

Enjoy a day of inspirational and relaxation for the whole family.

Catch up over coffee and homemade cake or a cream tea in the picturesque Garden Tea Room or take a bit of Marwood magic home with you from our Walled Garden Nursery and Plant Sales.

GARDENS & TEAROOM Open every Friday 2pm - 5.30pm from 6th May to 24th September

Also last weekend in May & August Bank Holiday weekend - Sat, Sun & Mon GARDENS: adult £5, child £1

CADHAY, OTTERY ST. MARY, DEVON, EX11 1QT 01404 813511 www.cadhay.org.uk Member of Historic Houses

Enquiries & Tea Room 01271 342528 Plant Sales & Nursery 01271 342577 e info@marwoodhillgarden.co.uk w marwoodhillgarden.co.uk Marwood Hill Gardens, Marwood, Barnstaple, Devon EX31 4EA

www.countrygardener.co.uk

33

GREAT PLACES TO VISIT

New Coastal Garden Show for Ilfracombe The North Devon coast is hosting a new garden festival in May. The Coastal Garden Festival is to be held in Ilfracombe on Saturday, 21st May and Sunday, 22nd May and is set to become an inspiration for gardeners young and old alike.

Visitors will be able to enjoy a variety of free talks, demonstrations and workshops by professional speakers on gardening, conservation, ecology and the environment, herbal medicines, felting, to watching a blacksmith at work over the two days. An art exhibition with tutorials from renowned artists, book early.

Award winning artisan stands range from plant stalls, crafts and gifts, will all be on show, as well as the opportunity to sample locally produced food and drinks. Under 15’s are free. Parking is free. In its first-year ticket prices have been kept at a nominal £5.

For tickets go to https:// coastalgardenfestival.org

Elkstone celebrates gardens open in special Cotswolds village

Elkstone is one of the highest villages in the Cotswolds. And one of the best ways to appreciate the village, and see areas not normally accessible to the public, is to visit the Open Gardens Day on Sunday, 19th June from 2 pm to 6pm.

Organised by villagers this raises funds for the upkeep of the church and village hall. Many gardens will be open. Afternoon teas, refreshments, and ice creams will be available and there will be a plant stall to browse and more.

Car parking is free. Adults £5 children under 13 free. No dogs allowed in the gardens www.elkstonevillage.com

HARTLAND ABBEY AND GARDENS CELEBRATES MAY OPENING For the first time in two years Hartland Abbey, the gardens, walks and tearoom will be fully open in May. It will be a chance to see the spring shrubs at their best. Rhododendrons and azaleas in the woodland gardens leading to the Walled Gardens and wild foxgloves in the walks leading to the sea are the highlights in May. The extensive planting of tulips in the Walled Gardens should still be dazzling! Sunday, 1st May sees The Hartland Hartbreaker, a marathon starting in the gardens, return; such a worthy cause raising money for the Childrens Hospice Southwest.

Hartland Abbey, Hartland, Stoke, Bideford EX39 6DT

Double up May events for Rare Plant Fairs

WRAGS scheme results on show in gardens open

With spring well under way, many gardens are now looking their freshest and loveliest. The Work and Retrain as a Gardener Scheme (WRAGS) places would-be gardeners in some outstanding gardens, where they learn horticultural skills from head gardeners or garden owners.

With gardens opening for the National Garden Scheme and their own open days, now is a good chance to see the result of some of their work and to revel in the joys of the season.

The Heart of BS13 a project supporting a healthy community in Bristol which has its own horticultural programme has a WRAGS trainee and is one such garden.

Check out its market garden, sign up to a workshop, attend an event or volunteer at www.heartofbs13.org.uk This is also a good time to book a tour of Highgrove (highgrovegardens.com), and Cranbourne Manor (cranborne.co.uk): both spectacular gardens in stately settings with a lot to see and inspire.

If you think your garden would benefit from a trainee, email admin@wfga.org.uk to learn more about the scheme or visit wfga.org.uk

The season of specialist plant fairs continues in May with two events. The first is a new fair set in the unique grounds of the American Museum and Gardens, in Bath, on Sunday, May 22nd, followed by the largest fair of the year at Kingston Bagpuize House, near Abingdon, on Sunday, May 29th, in support of local charities SeeSaw and Riding for the Disabled.

There will be high quality specialist nurseries attending both fairs, including several National Collection holders complemented by a range of interesting and unusual plants Photo: Peter Hall including choice perennials; plants for shade; rare climbers; alpines; herbs and edibles; and a great selection of unusual shrubs, accompanied by the expert advice that you need to select and grow the right plants for your garden There are 14 fairs in total this year. Go to www.rareplantfair.co.uk for details of the events, including lists of the exhibitors. There’s no need to book your tickets in advance this year - you can pay on the gate on arrival.

TWENTY PLUS VILLAGES TO OPEN THEIR GARDENS IN ECKINGTON Set over two days in May, there’s the tempting opportunity to visit Eckington in Worcestershire and enjoy private gardens which will open for visitors.

Boasting four gardens in the NGS scheme, there will be around 20 plus gardens open in total. The Holy Trinity Church displays a beautiful flower festival where villagers compete to produce outstanding floral displays. With plenty of refreshment stops, local arts and crafts on display and a complimentary free circular mini bus.

Coaches are welcomed by prior arrangement as are gardening clubs, local groups and anyone with an interest in gardens. Entry is £7 adults which covers both days, accompanied children are free.

Tel: 07967 503288 Email: js.sheppard@hotmail.co.uk Web: http://www.eckington.info/flowers.html 34

Country Gardener

May Fairs

DORSET PLANT

22nd May

& GARDEN FAIRS

American Museum and Gardens, Bath BA2 7BD

29th May

Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens Sunday 15th May 2022 Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens Sunday 26th June 2022

Kingston Bagpuize House, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX13 5AX Photo: Peter Hall

www.rareplantfair.co.uk

Our popular Plant Fairs are set in beautiful surroundings with lots of space for a wide range of specialist stalls.

Many nurseries, growers & stall holders from across the South & West of England.

Please visit our website for full details of admission fees and times of opening.

Admission is £7.00 including access to the gardens for the day.

Tickets can be bought on the day or via: www.abbotsbury-tourism.co.uk/gardens/events Free parking. Free admission for all UK Plant Heritage Members.

Plant Fairs are open 10am - 3pm and gardens remain open until 5pm.

Wide range of food and refreshments is available, including our solar powered coffee franchise serving premium hot & cold drinks.

Organised by Plant Heritage Dorset Group. Our regular monthly meetings are normally held at the Dorford Centre, Dorchester on Thursday evenings.

More details at www.plantheritage.org.uk Registered Charity No 10004009 Email: martin.plantheritagedorset@btinternet.com

BOSCREGE CARAVAN & CAMPING PARK

THE MOST PICTURESQUE CARAVAN PARK IN CORNWALL With a welcoming atmosphere and set in 12 acres of Cornish countryside only two miles from the beautiful sandy beaches of Praa Sands, Boscrege Caravan & Camping Park is the best place to enjoy your Cornish holiday.

Each of our luxury holiday homes comes with a private garden and Wi-Fi. Perfect

for families and couples, we are open all year, and offer seasonal pitches.

We offer the following: • Designated dog walking fields • Pet friendly accommodation • Comprehensive storage • Luxury holiday homes for sale

01736 762231 • enquiries@caravanparkcornwall.com www.caravanparkcornwall.com

46th Cerne Abbas

Open Gardens About 25 Private Gardens Open

18th & 19th June, 2-6pm Day ticket to all gardens £7 Ticket for 2 days £10 Accompanied children free Teas in St Mary’s Church from 1pm Well stocked plant stall from 1pm Free Car Park (DT2 7GD) from 1pm Equal proceeds to: Young People’s Trust & the Dorchester Youth Theatre

Keep up to date: www.cerneabbasopengardens.org.uk

Hartland Abbey & Gardens

Walks through wild flowers, rhododendrons and azaleas in May Visit this stunning house on the Atlantic Coast with its fascinating architecture and collections, exhibitions, beautiful walled and woodland gardens and walks to the beach.

• Floral Tours are working in partnership with Country Gardener to offer readers two tailored tours for 2023: The Monet and Versailles Experience 18 - 22 June 2023, 10 - 14 Sept 2023 The Delights of Yorkshire 9 - 13 July 2023 If you would like to join us on these tours please call Pat at Floral Tours.

• Keukenhof - Holland 23 Mar - 14 May 2023 • Les Journées des Plantes Chantilly, France 8-10 Oct 2022, 12-14 May 2023 • UK Garden Tours and Events We have programs for UK tours and events that we can tailor to your club preferences if this is your choice please give us a call

* Delicious light lunches & cream teas * * Dogs welcome * Holiday Cottages * * Hartland Quay 1 mile* House, Gardens etc and Café - open until 3rd October, Sunday to Thursday & Bank Hols. 11am - 5pm (House 2pm - 5pm last adm. 4pm)

For more information and events see www.hartlandabbey.com Hartland, Nr. Bideford EX39 6DT 01237441496/234 www.countrygardener.co.uk

35

GREAT PLACES TO VISIT

BOSCREGE, A BREATH OF CORNISH FRESH AIR Boscrege Caravan and Touring Park in Cornwall is a peaceful and picturesque park, set at the foot of Tregonning Hill, Godolphin National Trust and amongst a myriad of Cornish lanes in an area of outstanding natural beauty.

The park, open all year through, is situated close to the wonderful Cornwall coast and only a few minutes’ drive to Praa Sands, one of Britain’s best beaches. St Ives, Penzance, Hayle, Lands’ End, The Lizard Peninsular, Helston and Falmouth and many other Cornwall attractions and beaches are very easily visited from the central location in West Cornwall. And new this year, an exciting development of single/ twin lodges available to buy with a 20-year site licence and two years free site fees.

Come for a two-night free stay, available for genuine buyers.

Boscrege Caravan Park, Boscrege, Ashton, Cornwall TR13 9TG Tel: 01736 762231 www.caravanparkcornwall.com

HIGHLIGHTS GALORE AT MARWOOD HILL GARDEN

WIDER RANGE OF PLANTS AT ABBOTSBURY SUBTROPICAL GARDENS The Plant Fairs organised by Plant Heritage Dorset Group will have several new specialist growers in addition to the regulars, promising a wider range of plants, crafts and gifts to buy.

Admission is £7 which includes entrance to Abbotsbury Gardens for the day.

The two events in Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens on Sunday, 15th May and Sunday 26th June. There will also be several wildlife and conservation charities with stalls. The fairs are open from 10am until 3pm but you can continue to explore the gardens until 5pm. Profits go towards supporting the National Collections, plant conservation and education in Dorset.

When visitors enter Millwood Hill Garden a real highlight is the impressive flowering wisteria arch - with a succession of pink, blue and white flowering varieties. At the bottom of the arch, you will then be greeted by the unusual Picea abies ‘Rydal’ with its red flush of new growth. The peonies are doing their thing in the lady’s garden and their close relatives, the tree peonies are festooned with yellow blooms. Tucked behind walled garden is a collection of strongly scented blooming Rhododendrons including R. Sesterianum, R. luteum, Fragrantissima, ‘Lady Alice Fitzwilliam’ and the showy red nonscented R. ‘Hotspur’. Descending to the lakes you will see impressive mass plantings of multicoloured Candelabra primulas. On the other side of the valley, some rarely seen trees will be in full flower including the Handkerchief Tree (Davidia involucrata), Chilean fire bush (Embothrium coccineum).

Finally, up on the far hillside the much-loved yellow flowering magnolias can be viewed in all their finery.

Tickets can be purchased on the day or can be purchased online at www.abbotsbury-tourism.co.uk/gardens/events For Plant Heritage details email martin.plantheritagedorset@btinternet.com or www.plantheritage.org.uk

Marwood Hill Garden, Marwood, Nr Guineaford, Barnstaple EX31 4EB www.marwoodhillgarden.co.uk Tel: 01271 342 528

Lukesland impresses with spectacular 24 acre gardens ‘What a glorious, tranquil place – divine plants’, ‘A hidden gem’, ‘Enchanting garden and a lovely cup of tea!’

These are just some of the comments from appreciative visitors to the spectacular 24-acre Lukesland Gardens, Ivybridge. Tucked away in a peaceful woodland valley on the edge of Dartmoor (just 10 minutes off the A38), Lukesland’s collection of rhododendrons, magnolias and azaleas provides a spectacular show of colour in the Spring, against a wonderful backdrop of wild flowers. The much loved handkerchief trees start showing their white bracts in the second half of May. The Addicombe Brook at the heart of the garden is criss-crossed by a series of charming and unusual bridges and its ponds are home to wild birds, trout, tadpoles and toads. With home-made soup and cakes served up by the family in the servery attached to the Victorian billiard room and a Children’s Trail to keep the younger generation amused, these gardens have something for everyone. An exhibition of pastels by well-known Ivybridge artist James Martin, and beautiful bowls, turned locally from Lukesland wood, are on sale.

Dogs are welcome on a lead. This year the gardens are open for Spring colour from 11am to 5pm on Sundays, Wednesdays and all Bank Holidays until 12th June.

Call call 01752 691749 or go to www.lukesland.co.uk or www.facebook.com/lukeslandgardens Lukesland gardens and Tearooms ,Lukesland House, Ivybridge PL21 0JF

Countdown under way for Bishop’s Palace June festival The Bishop’s Palace and Gardens in Wells will be holding its popular Garden Festival on 17th, 18th and 19th June.

Returning for its eighth year, the popular festival will re-unite garden-lovers with specialists from around the country.

Designed to celebrate the Great British Garden, the 14-acre grounds of the Palace will feature guided tours, live music, expert speakers, delicious food, ‘have a go’ skills and crafts and several stalls, including some fabulous nurseries selling unusual and popular plants.

Headlining on Friday is Mark Bobin, head gardener of Minterne Gardens, who will be talking about sustainable horticulture and training the next generation of head gardeners.

Troy Scott Smith (head gardener at Sissinghurst) and Sarah Venn (Incredible Edible Bristol) will also be giving talks over the weekend.

Three of the region’s most skilled florists will also be on hand to advise visitors on how to get the best out of this year’s flowers.

The Garden Festival is a fundraising event for The Palace Trust with tickets priced at Adult: £13.50, Student/Blue Lights discount £10, Child (5-17) £6.50, Under fives are free.

The Bishop’s Palace, Wells BA5 2PD

36

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Harford Ivybridge PL21 0JF Tel 01752 691749

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www.lukesland.co.uk

Come and visit our RHS partner garden.

Enjoy light bites and refreshments from the Tea Room, buy plants from our Nursery, or simply explore the beautiful gardens – there is plenty to see and do!

For more details visit www.btc.ac.uk and search for The Walled Gardens of Cannington.

Groups welcome by appointment Open 7 days a week from 1st April to 30th September.

Weekends 10am -5pm, Weekdays 9am-5.30pm

Sands Lane, Badsey, Evesham, WR11 7EZ 01386 833849 info@cgf.net www.cotswoldgardenflowers.co.uk

01278 655042 | www.btc.ac.uk

The Bishop's Palace & Gardens, Wells Explore 14 acres of tranquil gardens, moat and medieval Palace in the heart of Wells Open daily including guided tours, group visits plus a regular programme of events, family activities, open air theatre, garden workshops

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Purchase on site or online at:

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37

Safety in the

garden

In the third part of her series on health in the garden, pilates trainer Kate Lewis looks at staying safe in the garden and avoiding injuries Gardening might not be seen as a particularly dangerous activity, and yet it is the cause of tens of thousands of hospital admissions every year, pulled muscles and back pain.

•

Although there are many potential ‘dangers’ in the garden - the humble flower pot rates as the second highest cause of gardening injuries in the UK - and back ache is a common complaint, there are many simple precautions we can take to reduce the risk of accident and injury.

Switch tasks often

Lifting When moving heavier objects try to share the weight with someone else, or use a trolley or wheelbarrow. If you have to lift on your own follow these tips for safe lifting: •

Keep your back straight and bend from your knees your legs should take the strain.

•

Carry the load close to your body.

•

Don’t lift above shoulder height.

•

Avoid twisting when carrying a heavy object.

Digging Digging is frequently referred to as ‘back-breaking’, and with good reason! Prevent back ache with good technique: •

Use a regular and repetitive action with controlled movements.

•

Bend your knees and not your back.

•

Keep the shovel as close to you as possible.

•

Shovel smaller and more manageable amounts.

Raking

Wear safety clothing when operating machinery - goggles, hard hats, protective gloves and steel toecapped boots.

It’s so easy to lose track of time when tackling chores in the garden. But spending too much time on any one task - especially if it is a repetitive motion like digging or raking - puts a lot of strain on the body as the same muscles are used over and over. Instead: •

Alternate activities from heavy to light tasks.

•

Rotate jobs every 15 minutes (set a timer if you need to).

•

Change your position regularly and take time to stretch.

Digging – bend your knees and not your back

Use the right tool for the right job Many gardening injuries are caused by not using the right tool for the right job. Make sure tools are kept in good condition.

Don’t forget •

Never use sharp tools lying around.

•

Don’t use electrical equipment in wet weather.

•

Lock away weed killers and insecticides - especially if children are around.

•

Be aware of any plants in your garden that might be harmful to you, children or your pets.

•

Stay hydrated, especially during hot weather.

•

Check that your tetanus vaccination is up to date.

Raking - switch hands and legs regularly

Another common garden task that can easily cause back ache and muscle strain. When raking stand with one leg in front of the other, switch legs and hands regularly and keep the rake close to your body.

Kneeling A lot of back strain is caused by bending down to do jobs.

Instead, use knee pads or a kneeling pad. If kneeling is a problem use a chair if possible. Either way, keep your back straight and straighten up regularly.

Clothing Many gardening injuries can be avoided by better planning and forethought. Think about your clothing before starting your tasks: •

Gloves will not only protect your hands from cuts and thorns - which can lead to infection - but also from bacteria and fungus in the soil, poisonous plants and insect bites.

•

Tuck in loose clothing.

38

Lifting - bend from the knees

Country Gardener

Kneeling – keep your back straight

WATER FEATURE

WATER POWER! Country Gardener is running features throughout the spring and summer helping gardeners with a range of topics under the umbrella of water in the garden. They run from May to July and look at different types of ponds available, maintenance and care, equipment and accessories, pond plants, wildlife and water features. Also, water gardening, growing methods and equipment, rain water harvesting, watering and irrigation options, water conservation and efficiency, gardens that particularly embrace water in their designs, courses and events.

PERFECT PLANTS FOR A WILDLIFE POND Plants are one of the most vital elements of a wildlife pond. Without them, a pond can fail to look natural and inviting to the forms of wildlife that you wish to attract. The most effective wildlife ponds are those that provide ample food and shelter to a diversity of visiting animals.

1. RIGID HORNWORT provides multiple benefits such as stifling the growth of algae and serving as a protective habitat for juvenile fish, larvae, and tadpole 2. CURLED PONDWEED can be grown along the marginal sections or the deeper areas of your pond. It is an aquatic perennial that produces long branching stems. Arising from these stems are submerged, bright green leaves with noticeably curly edges. When summer conditions are optimal, floral spikes jut through the water’s surface and develop into fruits.

3. HOTTONIA PALUSTRIS is commonly known as water violet or featherfoil. Contrary to its common name, it belongs to the Primulaceae family of primroses and isn’t remotely related to violets. Apart from its flower stems, all of this plant’s vegetative parts maintain a fully submerged habit.

4. WHITE WATER LILY (NYMPHAEA ALBA) The European white water lily is a showy floating plant that can add to the enchantment of your wildlife pond, especially in the summer. Its mildly fragrant blossoms boast up to 28 white petals that expand over time 5. FROGBIT (HYDROCHARIS MORSUS-RANAEI) If some sections of your wildlife pond are densely shaded, you should consider growing

European frogbit. This aquatic plant has earned its amusing common name from an equally amusing misunderstanding. What was once thought of as frogs feeding on the floating leaves of this plant may actually be caterpillars, which are hosted by this species.

OASE HAVE THE RIGHT PUMP SOLUTIONS Pond pumps are specifically manufactured for different purposes. A pump that is intended to work on a fountain will not produce the right results if you try using it to feed your filter.

Filter pumps are designed to ensure minimal maintenance is required and they are the most popular type of pump sold in the UK. The large holes in the casing are designed to allow dirt particles to pass through the pump without clogging it. When pumped to a filter these particles are then removed from the pond system, helping to keep your pond water clean and clear.

In contrast a fountain pump has smaller casing holes to prevent dirt from being drawn in and clogging up the fountain nozzles.

The pump that you casually drop into your pond has gone through years of specialist development and testing before reaching your local store.

Find out more about OASE’s range of pumps https://social.oase.com/pondpump

Green Water?

Get free, expert advice from our team today.

Before

Stanway fountain highlights the power of water The spectacular gravity fountain at Stanway House is the world’s highest, reaching 300ft. Tucked behind a magnificent gatehouse in a tiny Cotswolds village, The House is a perfect example of a Jacobean manor and has been lived in by the same family since the 16th century.

Extensive grounds to explore and fascinating history to discover.

Working water mill produces flour from locally grown wheat.

Stanway is open in June, July and August, Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 2pm to 5pm. The fountain plays twice each day. Group tours can be arranged at other times. Dogs are welcome.

For details visit the website www.stanwayfountain.co.uk

01246 240880

Lines open 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Monday to Friday

After Email us at info@envii.co.uk

Visit www.envii.co.uk/pond-klear www.countrygardener.co.uk

39

WATER FEATURE

YOUR POND QUESTIONS ANSWERED Envii are a family business specialising in high quality garden and pond products.

They provide ideal experts for us to help with a series of seasonal questions about pond problems.

Q: My pond has got a lot of algae in, can I pull it out?

A: Pulling algae out of your pond is the worst thing you can do for algae. Whilst pulling it out, the algae will snap and release spores back into the water. The algae then grows back a lot stronger after removing it.

Q: What is the ideal pH for my pond?

A: We recommend the pH to be anything between 7.08.5. This creates a healthy environment for all fish and wildlife.

Q: My pond is losing water, what could cause this?

Q: Do I need to add a filter into my small pond?

A: The main cause for water loss is normally from evaporation. If you think you’re losing more than an inch or two each week then we would recommend checking to see if you have a leak. This could be a rip in the liner or just a problem with the plumbing system, depending on your pond set up.

A: Not all ponds require filters, this depends on whether you have fish & how many. Ideally, if you have fish, we recommend having a filter as it helps circulate the water and picks up any excess waste.

Q: My pond has suddenly gone thick like green pea soup, what do I need to treat for this?

A: Whilst there are a few reasons why fish may be jumping out of the water, they typically fall in to two categories, water parameters or fish illness. Be sure to use a test kit to test your water parameters and any medicinal treatments if fish are ill.

A: Firstly, check your water parameters to make sure your pH reads between 7.0-8.5. If it doesn’t, treat with Pond Equaliser to help buffer all the water parameters. Then, we’d recommend using a treatment such as Pond Klear to help clear the green water.

Q: My pond is quite large, five meters long, three meters wide and just less than a metre metres deep, can you tell me how many litres/gallons this holds.

A: Your pond is approximately 12,000 litres/ 2640 gallons.

You can work this out by using the pond calculator which features on all our pond product pages at www.envii.co.uk Q: How do I increase the oxygen in my pond?

A: There are a few different ways to introduce oxygen into your pond. You can add either a fountain or an air pump, which help break the surface of water to help add oxygen.

Q: Why are my fish jumping out of the water?

Q: How do I get rid of duckweed?

A: There are no treatments available to kill duckweed in ponds as they considered an aquatic weed. The best course of action is to use a bacterial treatment to break down sludge and remove excess nutrients from the water that duckweed thrive on.

The OASE solution to water in your garden Waterfall Walls At OASE, we believe in the relaxing simplicity of water. This belief has been a driving force in our design of pond-free water features. We want to enable anybody, anywhere, the chance to have the serenity of water in their garden. We have ensured that you do not have to compromise on space or functionality to do so.

With complete solutions like the Waterfall Wall set, you can invite water into a tired and forgotten space - all with minimal stress and effort. Why not create a new focal point for summer gatherings this year? Do you have an area that is sheltered from sun where plants refuse to grow? Or maybe even a neglected patio? Add a OASE waterfall, spillway or copper bowl today.

Waterfall Walls come in two sizes: 60 and 90. The OASE complete sets are designed to work together, and they contain everything you need to install these features yourself. Pumps, reservoirs and even lights made by us. To put it simply we know what works.

With our range of water landscaping products, it really is as simple as choosing the one you like. Visit your local retailer to see the simplicity of these designs, and their highquality workmanship first hand. Add an OASE feature to your garden today.

www.oase.com 40 Counry Garden Article.indd

1

Country Gardener

06/04/2022 16:11:01

May 22_Layout 1 05/04/2022 14:25 Page 1

WATER GARDENING DIRECT - A ONE STOP SOLUTION TO POND PROBLEMS

www.watergardeningdirect.com Tel: 01778 341199

Water Gardening Direct has been established for over 21 years. The staff there have decades of experience with many having worked for other pond companies. When setting up the company their aim was to combine the best products in the industry with the keenest price, coupled with excellent advice and service. They have worked hard to retain these values, with customers continuously commenting on helpfulness and knowledge. Water Gardening Direct can assist with wildlife ponds, fishponds, water blade features, fountains for large lakes and solar powered water features. Downstream, they offer treatments and spares to enable customers to maintain their water garden in good order. www.watergardeningdirect.com Tel: 01778 341199

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Open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7th June to 30th August, from 2pm - 5pm. Also by appointment for group visits.

Contact 01386 584469 for details.

www.stanwayfountain.co.uk Stanway, Cheltenham, Gloucs, GL54 5BT

Solar Fairy Water Feature

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41

Lettuce - a grow your own essential Gardeners never need any excuse to grow their own lettuce but new reports on prewashed bagged varieties suggest it is certainly the healthiest and safest thing to do.

Who would have thought the humble lettuce could such a stir?

New research will again this spring strengthen the concern that lettuce leaves and prewashed bagged leaves aren’t as healthy as they appear, as many contain little nutrition due to the processing.

Of more concern, researchers have found evidence that the environment inside a salad bag offers an ideal breeding ground for salmonella, a type of bacteria that can cause food poisoning.

All produce slowly loses nutrients once harvested, so it makes sense that bagged salads may lose even more (compared to a whole head of lettuce harvested at the same time) due to the preparation work and packaging that must occur before they hit grocery shelves.

However, many manufacturers suggest the turnaround time from field to market is usually within a 24-hour period. Most manufacturers use bagging to maintain the colour of leaves and to extend shelf life.

It’s all a concern which has led to a more vocal call for gardeners to get on with growing their own.

David Farrant is vice present of the Allotment Association and a passionate grower of lettuces.

“Why would you not grow lettuce yourself most of the year” he suggests.

“If you haven’t tasted the luscious, freshly picked leaves of homegrown lettuce, then you’ve really been missing out!

Lettuce can offer you the freshest leaves for picking almost year-round. It’s a great crop for beginner gardeners.

“Growing lettuce and it’s a matter of personal preference which types you prefer. All are capable of being grown in our gardens and allotments, but we have yet to see iceberg types of lettuce being grown successfully here by amateur gardeners.

“Moisture-retentive, fertile soil is ideal. You can improve your soil by simply adding plenty of organic matter such as compost to the soil in the weeks before sowing.

“Sow outside up to four weeks before your last frost. For an earlier start, sow them on your sunniest windowsill or in a greenhouse, polytunnel or cold frame.

“Multi-purpose potting mix is fine for sowing. Sow several seeds into small pots, then transplant the seedlings into their own pots or plugs once they’ve germinated.

Alternatively, sow two seeds per plug in a plug tray. Cover them over with about a quarter inch (0.5cm) layer of potting mix, perlite or vermiculite. Gently firm the potting mix down and water it.

“It’s very important to prepare the soil before sowing seed or planting • The word ‘ lettuce’ probably derives from the Old French laitues seedlings. The soil (plural of laitue), meaning ‘milky,’ referring to this plant. should be well dug, and • In Tudor times preparing lettuce would have usually involved boiling. the surface should be It’s hard to imagine this improving the texture or flavour of lettuce raked over to a fine tilth but the reasoning behind it was sound. Most crops were fertilised and be reasonably even. with dung, possibly without following the advice familiar to us today Only if the soil surface to ensure that all manures are well rotted down before use, it is likely is even and a fine tilth that pathogens from the dung would get onto food crop. will you be able to sow the seeds at the correct • By the time John Evelyn wrote his discourse on salads in the late depth.

1600s, raw lettuces were back on the menu and he lists at least 16 “I don’t want to accuse different types available in London. anyone when it comes to selling lettuces but it just seems crazy that something which is so easy to grow would

be put down the pecking order in favour of shop bought options. Finding out exactly how commercial lettuce is produced can prove very difficult, the producers seem unwilling to publicise exactly how that bag of supermarket mixed salad, for example, has been treated before it reaches you.

“It is likely it has been packed in a nitrogen / carbon dioxide enhanced atmosphere. Ever wondered why bagged lettuce leaves are sold in pumped up bags? It’s because the ‘air’ in the bag is not real air but is modified to prevent the contents discolouring as it ages. This enables the supermarkets to sell old lettuce which just looks fresh.

“The whole process ensures that bagged lettuce is several days old before you eat it. It may look good in the bag but much of the nutrient value and taste has disappeared long before you eat it”.

When buying seeds there is a huge choice for gardeners Hearting lettuces, which come in three main types: • Butterhead lettuces have an open shape, are quick-maturing and tolerate poorer growing conditions.

• Cos types have an upright, oblong head.

• Crisphead types produce large hearts of curled, crisp leaves and are more resistant.

Loose-leaf lettuces and salad-leaf mixes produce less dense growth, ideal for picking individual leaves and for growing in small spaces and containers.

Choose from a range of colours, flavours and leaf shapes.

42

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43

JAPANESE MAPLES

Barn Close Nurseries Taunton’s plant plug centre, Henlade

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Tel. 01823 443507 Open 7 days a week 9am - 5.30pm On the main A358 Taunton to Ilminster road next to Henlade post office

We produce and grow the largest selection available in the UK. Plants are pot grown and suitable for garden, patio or bonsai.

• Geraniums £3.00 for ten • Busy lizzes, petunias, lobelia, bedding begonias £11.00 per 100 • Baskets plants £6.50 for ten • Refill baskets from £12.00 • Levington professional compost 75 litres £7.40 per bag, 5 bags £36.00

Send SAE for descriptive catalogue.

Visitors welcome Mon-Sat 9am-1pm & 2pm-4.30pm

Why use mail order or garden centres when you can buy quality plants locally at lower prices?

A large variety of plugs available including ivy leaf geraniums, nemesia, diascia, visit our website at

Barthelemy & Co (DCG), 262 Wimborne Rd West, Stapehill, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 2DZ

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GARDEN VISITS

ANDREW’S CORNER

GARDENS TO VISIT

Belstone, Devon EX20 1RD Now in the 51st year of opening for the National Garden Scheme, take a walk on the wild side in this tranquil moorland garden.

After the magnolias, trillium and the lovely erythroniums of April, early May highlights the maples, rhododendrons and unusual shrubs, then the flowering davidia, cornus, embothrium and spectacular blue poppies. Open for the NGS on Sunday 1st and Bank Holiday Monday 2nd May, then on Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th May, from 2pm until 5pm each day. Admission £5, children free. www.andrewscorner.garden

in May

compiled by Vivienne Lewis May is the month of blossom, and an abundance of colourful flowers in the borders. Here is a selection of gardens opening for charity, so take a trip to see a lovely garden that is being opened to help raise much needed funds for nursing and caring charities. Do check wherever possible before starting out as circumstances can force cancellations. www.ngs.org.uk

KENTLANDS Whitestone, Exeter, Devon EX4 2JR A two-acre secluded garden north west of Exeter, south facing with distant views, and new beds to increase the salvia collection; newly erected summerhouse, patio area, pond perennials, shrubs and salvias, greenhouse with orchids and alpines, productive vegetable area, polytunnel, and sweet peas. Open for the NGS Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th May, 10.30am-4pm each day. Admission £5, children free.

KILMINGTON (SHUTE ROAD) GARDENS

LUCOMBE HOUSE

Kilmington, Axminster, Devon EX13 7ST Set in rural east Devon, three gardens just under a mile apart, one garden planted for yearround colour, foliage and texture, with mature oaks and beech, flowering trees and shrubs, roses, acers, climbers, vegetable patch; another larger garden has over three acres with woodland, rhododendrons, camellias and hydrangeas, rose bed, wildflower area, borders, vegetable garden, fruit trees, ponds, and bog garden; the third garden has designed and replanted areas, formal and informal beds, mature trees including a wisteria walk. Open for the NGS Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th May, 1.30pm5pm both days. Combined admission £6. www.kilmingtonvillage.com

OUR KEY TO FACILITIES ON OFFER AT THE GARDENS:

12 Druid Stoke Avenue, Stoke Bishop, Bristol BS9 1DD In addition to the 255 year-old Lucombe Oak, registered as one of the most significant trees in the UK, there are over 30 mature English trees planted together with ferns and bluebells to create an urban woodland, with a new path through the woodland, plus a newly designed Arts & Crafts front garden. Open for the NGS on Sunday 15th May, 1pm-5pm.

Admission £3.50, children free.

A flautist trio will be present throughout the afternoon.

Refreshments available

Plants usually for sale

Wheelchair access to much of garden

Partial wheelchair access

Unsuitable for wheelchairs

Dogs on short leads

Visitors welcome by arrangement

Coaches welcome consult owners

Accommodation at this venue

Picnics welcome

www.countrygardener.co.uk

45

GARDEN VISITS

HOLLAND FARM South Brewham, Bruton, Somerset BA10 0JZ The house and garden were created from a derelict farmyard 15 years ago, now with garden rooms, divided by hornbeam and yew hedging, some tranquil, with a simple water feature or trees, others burst with a variety of planting. The house frames a French-style courtyard and a hornbeam avenue leads the visitor to a swimming lake with lakeside planting. Open for the NGS on Sunday 29th May, 2pm-5pm. Admission £8, children free.

THE YEWS Harry Stoke Road, Stoke Gifford, Bristol, Gloucestershire BS 34 8QH A new opening for the NGS, approximately an acre, developed by the present owners since 1987, part of the old hamlet of Harrystoke, now surrounded by housing development. Formal area with pond, gazebo, herbaceous borders, clipped box and yew, 300 year-old yews, wedding cake tree, magnolias, eucalyptus, Indian bean tree, gingkoes and more; vegetable garden, greenhouse, orchard and meadow. Open for the NGS Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd May, 2pm-5pm each day. Admission £5, children free.

BRICK KILN COTTAGE The Avenue, Herriard, nr Alton, Hampshire RG25 2PR A wildlife-friendly garden managed on ecological principles in a former brick works, a bluebell woodland with a perimeter woodland path, treehouse, pebble garden, billabong, stumpery, ferny hollow, bug palace, waterpool, shepherd’s hut and a traditional cottage garden filled with herbs. New feature is a children’s reading area and there’s a gallery of textiles. Open for the NGS Saturday 7th May and Sunday 15th May, 11.30pm-4pm each day. Admission £5, children free.

THE COTTAGE 16 Lakewood Road, Chandler’s Ford, Eastleigh, Hampshire SO53 1ES Gaining a Hampshire Wildlife Trust Wildlife Garden Award and an NGS award for opening for 30 years, the garden has been designed, planted and cared for since 1950 by two keen garden loving families.

Azaleas, camellias, trilliums and erythroniums under old oaks and pines; herbaceous cottage style borders, bog garden, ponds, kitchen garden, wildlife areas. Honey from the garden hives for sale, and a quiz for children.

Open for the NGS on Sunday 1st May, Bank Holiday Monday 2nd May, Sunday 8th May & Monday 9th May, 1.30pm-5.30.pm. each day. Admission £4.50, children free.

TUFFLEY GARDENS Stroud Road, Gloucester, Gloucestershire GL4 0DT A new opening for the NGS, a group of suburban gardens of different styles and sizes, some corner plots, lawned or gravelled, some have ponds or water features, others have specimen and fruit trees on land once a huge orchard prior to housing. Close to Robinswood Hill Country park, 250 acres of open countryside with viewpoint, pleasant walks and waymarked nature trails.

Open for the NGS Sunday 29th May, 11am-4pm.

Admission £5, children free.

HARCOMBE HOUSE

EASTCOMBE AND BUSSAGE GARDENS

Pitman’s Lane, Morcombelake, Bridport, Dorset DT6 6EB

Stroud, Gloucestershire

A steeply sloping garden of both formal and woodland areas landscaped into the hillside 500ft above the Char Valley with spectacular views across Charmouth and Lyme Bay. The formal garden has been rediscovered, restored and replanted in a natural, relaxed style over the last 15 years with shrubs and perennials. Majestic rhododendrons and azaleas complement spring bulbs and bluebells in the woodland area. Open for the NGS Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd May, 1pm-6pm each day. Admission £5, children free. Don’t follow satnav.

Medium and small gardens in a variety of styles and settings within this picturesque, hilltop village location with its spectacular views of the Toadsmoor Valley. One large garden is in the bottom of the valley, approachable only on foot as are some of the other gardens. Open for the NGS Sunday 1st May and Bank Holiday Monday 2nd May, 1.30pm-5.30pm each day. Combined admission £8, children free.

46

Country Gardener

CROSSWORD

GARDEN VISITS

country gardener STANWAY FOUNTAIN & WATER GARDEN Stanway, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL54 5PQ Britain’s highest fountain at 300ft, the world’s highest gravity fountain, in 20 acres of planted landscape in an early 18th century formal setting.

The restored canal, upper pond and fountain have recreated one of the most interesting Baroque water gardens in Britain. Striking 16th century manor with gatehouse, tithe barn and church. Fountain runs at 2.45pm and 4pm for 30 minutes each time. Open for the NGS Sunday 15th May, 2pm5pm. Admission £7, children £2.50.

CROSSWORD WIN £100 IN RHS GIFT TOKENS

Welcome back to our popular gardening themed crossword compiled by Saranda which over the past year has become enormously popular with readers. The winning entry to be drawn by us will receive £100 of RHS gift tokens. Completed entries should be sent to Mount House, Halse, Taunton, Somerset TA4 3AD. Closing date is Friday, 20th May. The winner of the April issue crossword was Bella Hill from Blandford Forum.

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SILTON HOUSE

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Silton, Church Road, Gillingham, Dorset SP8 5PR

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Opening with Lower Silton for the NGS on Saturday 7th May from 2pm-5pm, a large garden divided into rooms, with topiary and yew hedges, a pleached lime walk, herbaceous and shrub border, vegetable and flower garden, orchard, gravel garden and lawn extending to enclosed swimming pool garden. Lower Silton has a recently recovered 25-acre bluebell wood with early purple orchids, a large developing arboretum, ponds with black swans and ducks. Combined admission £8, children free.

KNOYLE PLACE Holloway, East Knoyle, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP3 6AF An elegant nine-acre garden created over 60 years by previous and current owners. Above the house there are several acres of mature rhododendron and magnolia woodland planting; box parterre, rose garden, vegetable garden and, around the house, a recently planted formal garden designed by Dan Combes. Open for the NGS Saturday 14th May, 2pm-5pm. Admission £10, children free.

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ACROSS

6. A woody vine that climbs up trees to find sunlight (5)

7. Well-known area of Kent, once mainly woodland (5)

10. Pink-flowered pelargonium with fragrant leaves (4,8)

8. Genus of plants commonly called spurge (9)

13. Botanically speaking, any plant that produces its own seeds (10)

9. The Aztecs called this plant cacomitl or ______ flower (6)

14. Deep-rooted perennial weed very hard to obliterate (9)

11. Jelly made from fruit, especially quinces (8)

17. Genus of gymnosperm shrubs, some of which are used in medicine (7)

12. Genus of wildflowers including spiderwort and inchplant (12)

19. Well-loved garden plant with colourful flowers (5)

15. The preparation of land for growing crops (7)

21. A tall, grass-like plant that favours wet places (4)

16. Parts of a pistil that receive pollen during pollination (7)

STADDLESTONES

18. Evergreen shrub known as the marmalade bush (12) 20. A French flower! (8)

14 Witchampton Mill, Witchampton, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 5DE A beautiful setting for a cottage garden with colour themed borders, pleached limes, leading over a chalk stream to a shady area with some unusual plants including meconopsis poppies and an unusual two foot tall gunnera. Plenty of areas just to sit and enjoy wire bird sculptures by a local artist, borrowed views and the wildlife. Open for the NGS Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th May, 2pm-5pm each day. Admission £4.50, children free.

22. Catmint (6) 23. Seed potato, perhaps grown by Captain Mainwaring! (9) 24. Purple-flowering stonecrop sometimes known as live-long (5) DOWN 1. ‘Basket of flowers’ was painted by this French artist (9) 2. European iris or decorative, heraldic symbol (5-2-3) 3. Edible orange-like fruit from Southeast Asia (7) 4. Common name of Paliurus spinachristi (7,5) 5. Any plant of the Iridaceae family (4)

Answers from previous issue, April 2022: A M S T E L T S O L E A C E W H P E A E O L M O N M O B D T E A S E D O D R O P P I S P N G A I O

R D A M U I E O U S S R M A I I S U T H S H I P R E P I P E D L I A T H R

G

E A R U M P E T R U H N S E A T C T N A N A R I E S R A T E D M I D

E G G C U P

G N E O A R A E N G R E

S I T D E N T E S S S R

M E R F M T R A I S L N G E T F H I R E N R O T E N C H K E A H O C A O A T W O K I S H N E S S

M A N C H E S T E R T E R

U S P R O K S E S A P E R S P O N T

A L A B B R M A D R O R U T E T A

E S O E R R N E L T U I N F T O L A C I D

R C I C A T E M A R L O C M Y E L I N L L U M M E R F

H I I O N C G K W I E R S E P D A Y

47

Wildflowers down a Dorset country lane Frances Healy has spent the last eighteen months researching the wildflowers near her Dorset home. The idea started during lockdown two years ago and this autumn hopes to publish her first book ‘A Dorset Country Lane’.

She writes here about what can be seen on a walk down such lanes - when you know what you are looking for.

Naturally seeded into quiet corners around our gardens or seen on country walks wildflowers are the cheerful heralds of spring. Most of them will however still be with us through the summer too.

Wildflowers are far more variable than garden cultivars, in size, leaf density and colour. A deeper gene pool and broad adaptability to local growing conditions can result in a wide variety of how they look - some stunted and sickly, other lanky and disproportionate.

When I had the lockdown inspired idea to research wildflowers in an around where I live in Dorset, I thought it would be a gentle and not too challenging task.

That was a first mistake. The list of native wildflowers to be found on these shores is immense, running into several hundreds and a daunting and bewildering task to find and identify.

So, I went local. I wanted to identify and uncover wildflowers within a five-mile radius of my home. I was lucky. The April weather as the first full weeks of lockdown became a reality were spectacular - day after day of glorious warm sunshine which made getting out into the fresh air such a joy.

I think when I started the project I had three weeks of sunshine was what some said unheard of in Dorset in April.

I of course have favourites and for Country Gardener I just wanted to list and explain some of those which are common, and we can all see and enjoy without too much searching. This isn’t a complete list, just ones I regularly say hello to down the lanes near my home.

rise to arguments as to whether they are indeed still a wildflower or not. I include them because they grow wild in woods. There are many different species, of which the most common are the woodland forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica) and the Alpine forget-me-not (Myosotis alpestris).

Cowslip (Primula veris) Herb robert Pretty, pink and healing, herb-robert clearly flourishes in woodland from spring to late summer. You can spot its bright flowers in shady spots in woods and grasslands.

Herb-robert is a low-growing biennial with reddish stems.

Forget-me-not or myosotyis In the wild you usually see them in woodland where it’s a bit damp.

There they often spread with a noticeably steady rhythm, so that they look surprisingly tidy for wild plants. These minuscule blue beauties are now more commonly found in gardens, giving 48

A loveable wildflower which has many uses, from helping cure coughs, to providing citrus flavour in food. Distinctively tall and bright yellow, favouring meadows and open woodland, it’s not hard to spot. Names include cowslip, common cowslip, cowslip primrose. The common name cowslip may derive from the old English for cow dung, probably because the plant was seen to be growing near cow dung. Rare butterflies are thought to depend on it.

Common daisy (Bellis perennis) How could I leave out the daisy? Each flower has a rosette of small, thin white petals surrounding a bright yellow Country Gardener

centre. These are supported by a single stem which grows from a group of dark green rounded leaves. The petals can sometimes be tinged with pink. It is a common wild flower found growing in our garden lawns. If we reduce the frequency of mowing, daises will flower more and provide a valuable food source for hoverflies, honeybees and bumblebees. It thrives in banks around me!

Wood Anemone (Anemone nemorosa) Sun-loving, gentle, a mark of the ancient. The wood anemone is one of the first spring blooms, arriving to take in the light through the leafless canopy in broadleaf woodland.

Look for them in old and ancient woodland that suits their slow growth.

Bulbous Buttercup (Ranunculus bulbosus) When you were a child, did you sit in the yard with your friends or siblings and stick dandelions under your chin? If your chin glowed yellow, it meant you liked someone. Or… that you really liked butter. Well, across much of the world, this is a practice largely done with buttercup flowers. It’s found in most gardens, on road sides and along almost all footpaths. Despite growing just as wild, buttercups aren’t considered weeds. They are also considered far superior in beauty. And, for the purposes of the game, they have a shiny, waxy coating on their petals that reflects light. It’s this quality that makes this little golden flower so unique.

why there are so many folklore tales surrounding these wildflowers. Easy to spot due to the bright blue colour, bluebells are often inundated with hungry bees, hoverflies and butterflies which enjoy feasting on the nectar.

Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) A true roadside stunner, cow parsley is a familiar sight in Dorset, and I am sure all over the country. It’s a hardy plant which is popular with pollinators and grows just about anywhere. The wide brimmed white clusters of blooms sit atop a long vibrant green stem and are super common at roadsides or garden edges. A distant relative of the carrot, this plant provides food for all kinds of British wildlife.

Is picking wildflowers illegal?

Contrary to what most people think, it is not illegal to pick most wildflowers for personal, non-commercial use. In a similar vein, it’s not illegal to forage most leaves and berries for food in the countryside for non-commercial use. Legislation under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981) makes it illegal ‘to uproot any wild plant without permission from the landowner or occupier’. The term ‘uproot’ is defined as “to dig up or otherwise remove the plant from the land on which it is growing”.

Picking parts of a plant (leaves, flower stems, fruit and seed) is therefore OK, if you don’t remove or uproot the whole plant.

Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea) Growing barely a few centimetres above the ground, and producing only a few tiny lilac blooms that somehow blend into the green of grass, it’s a tough wildflower to find. It’s a part of the dead nettle family but its habit of spreading widely has led it to being called ‘ivy.’ It kicks out a strong scent, and before hops were discovered it was frequently used in the beer brewing process.

Greater Stitchwort (Stellaria hollostea) Pretty, starlike and abundant along hedgerows.

These plants have an explosive seed-dispersal mechanism.

Disturb a large patch of them in summer and they go off like fireworks.

Greater stitchwort is in the carnation family. It has white flowers and can reach up to 50cm in height.

A delicate and easily overlooked wildflower, this small white bloom provides nectar for not only bees and butterflies, but also moths which rely on this essential food source. They open in April and the flowers turn to seed pods by June, which pop loudly and are a signal of summer – earning it the nickname ‘poppers’. Most found in woodlands .

Primrose (Primula vulgaris) In Dorset these start to appear in January and flower through to May and are one of the most attractive native wildflowers in Britain. Primroses are said to represent eternal love.

The pale-yellow petals and central sunshine yellow pop make the primrose one of the happiest looking wildflowers and provide vital nectar to springtime butterflies.

Deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna) I include this as there are lots of it down my lanes. As its name suggests, deadly nightshade is a highly poisonous plant. Its black, shiny berries may be tempting but fatal.

Found on chalky and disturbed ground, such as scrub or verges, it has bell-shaped flowers. Though highly poisonous, it feeds woodland animals and even has medicinal properties.

Bluebells (Hyacinthoids non-scripta)

In addition the Wildlife and Countryside Act includes a list of highly threatened plants that are especially vulnerable to picking, including plants like Deptford pink, alpine sow-thisle, wild gladiolus and several orchids and ferns (as well as fungi, lichens and bryophytes).

No part of these Schedule 8 species can be intentionally picked or uprooted without a licence from the appropriate statutory conservation agency.

Plants which are protected can be found at https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ ukpga/1981/69/schedule/8

MY RESEARCH ‘BIBLES’ The Botanical Society of UK and Ireland www.bsbi.org Plant Identification Guide – British Plants www.field-studies-council.org

Half the world’s bluebells are found in the UK, so we are privileged to see this natural spectacle every year between mid-April and the end of May. The bell-shaped blooms carpet the ground of ancient woodland, making it easy to see

The Wildlife Trusts Identification of Species www.wilwdlifetrusts.org The NHBS Guide to UK Wildflower Identification www.nhbs.com

www.countrygardener.co.uk

49

How to get kids into gardening Many parents try to tempt their children into participating in gardening, but how many succeed?

Although kids enjoy getting dirty, they will shy away from working in a garden if it feels like a chore.

To get your children excited about constructing a garden, you will need to make the task fun.

National Children’s Gardening Week takes place every year at the end of May. It’s all about giving children and their families the natural buzz and fun that comes from being in the garden.

Getting children into gardening can be an extremely rewarding and beneficial pastime. It not only gets them outside and exploring, but it can also teach them the life cycle of food, plants and nature in general.

The best way to inspire your little one to love gardening and want to learn more about nature, is to make it fun. We all know children are more interested and engaged when they are having fun. So, here are some helpful inspiration and activities to help your little one become a green fingered gardening fan.

Get your hands dirty If your children don’t spend too much time outdoors, then they might not be familiar with getting their hands dirty and being near insects. Show them that there’s nothing to be afraid of by digging around the soil and handling worms. It’s a great way to introduce them to gardening, as it shows that there’s nothing to fear, and it’s also a way to loosen up and have fun. In fact, research has revealed that gardeners have better well-being and lower stress levels than non-gardeners – so not only will it be an entertaining activity for your children, but it’s beneficial for their mental health too.

Grow your own fruit and vegetables Start them off slowly by teaching them to grow their own fruit and vegetables. Not only is the outcome a tasty (and healthy) snack, but they will no doubt enjoy watching them grow. First, choose a designated spot for your child to plant their seeds; giving them their own spot allows them to become more comfortable and familiar with their gardening. But be careful not to choose an area that is well-shaded, as it may not grow properly and could put them off from gardening. Pick a sunny spot – but ensure you let them choose their own seeds, as there’s no use picking something that they won’t enjoy once they’re ready to eat.

Planting sunflowers Planting sunflower seeds is a great activity for your children, as they add brightness to your garden. As well as this, it’s an alternative activity to growing food in your outdoor space and can make a fun competition to see whose sunflower will grow the tallest. It’s the perfect chance to teach 50

your children about plant maintenance, as they are easy to care for, so it prepares them for the future when they may be looking after trickier plants.

Add some garden décor While your children are excited and waiting for their fruit and vegetables to grow, you can always head out for a shopping trip for some garden ornaments. Gardening isn’t only about getting your hands in the soil, as you can pick out some décor to add more detail to your garden on top of your colourful plants. It can also be a great opportunity to upgrade your toolkit or even explore a variety of seeds to try next.

Decorate plant pots You may have many plants in your garden that are all stored in the same brown plant pot. Why not add some character by decorating them with some colourful paint? The UK weather is unpredictable – so if it happens to be a rainy day, you can still incorporate your gardening activities into a plant-pot-painting task. You can have a family contest where the best painting wins.

Set up a bird-feeding station Of course, you can add many touches to spruce up your garden. But there are also many other simple additions, like attracting birds with some tasty treats. Not only will it excite the children when they visit your garden, but it’s also an activity to take part in as a family. Birds mainly need feeding in winter, so when your plants are struggling to grow in the colder months, creating a feeding station means that your children can still participate in their gardening hobbies. Simply use some small pots to fill with their food or purchase a decorative feeder to place in your garden.

Build a garden den Children adore an outdoor den – it’s a perfect spot for them to cool down and relax after being outdoors, particularly on a warm day. You can create one together using branches and logs and even choose some vining plants for the base that can be guided upwards to create an enclosed space, such as honeysuckle, which also looks delightful in your garden.

National Children’s Gardening Week is being held from Saturday, 28th May until Sunday, 5th June Country Gardener

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TREE SPECIALIST

NATIVE - OR NOT NATIVE? Mark Hinsley argues that what the definition of a native tree to these islands has probably changed a great deal

Sixty million years ago, around the shores of a sea that was laying down rocks which are now part of the Hampshire and London basins, the land that we call England was located at a latitude similar to that of the modern Mediterranean region.

‘Native’ to the area were ginkgos and magnolias and a wealth of other tree species known to us from their fossils in coal. As the continent drifted northwards, the rich flora became gradually more impoverished.

Then, about one million years ago, an Ice Age began.

Succeeding waves of arctic temperatures and glaciers swept ‘Britain’ clean of vegetation. The cupboard was bare.

The ice retreated for the last time 11,000 years ago. Plants and trees began to recolonise. However, 6,000 years ago the sea levels rose and the land between Britain and the main body of Europe was flooded. Up to this point only trees which had made it back up as far as Northern France had managed to cross the land bridge to Britain. After the flood nothing else could.

Now that’s what I call Brexit!

Thirty-five species of tree made it back, the rest, despite many being here before the Ice Age, are considered to be exotic. That the range of our trees was decided by a process of recolonisation which was cut short is evinced by the fact that, in Britain, ‘native’ hardly ever means ‘endemic.’

Take Quercus robur, the English oak: what could be more native than that? Yet you will find it growing quite happily and naturally anywhere from North-East Russia to SouthWest Asia and to Spain and even North Africa, except they don’t call it English oak in those places.

Over 8,000 years ago, the tree which jumped across the land bridge and became the dominant woodland tree as far north as what is now the Lake District was Tilia cordata, the Small Leaf lime. It is one of our two native limes, but it is equally familiar and native from Northern Spain to Siberia.

Tilia cordata - the Small Leaf lime

London Plane - the first hybrid between two trees from different continents

Carpinus betulus - the hornbeam

Quercus robur - the English oak, but not exclusive to England

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to mid-Siberia, north to Lapland. Ah but, pine pollen has been found in Bronze Age strata in the South of England. It was here after the land bridge was drowned. It disappeared from Southern England but was brought back in the 1700s.

It does very well on heathland, much to the chagrin of the heathland protection people. Native – or not native?

Are native trees the best trees to grow in their native lands? Not necessarily. The tallest coniferous tree in most counties of England will be, if it is not already, a Giant Redwood from the West Coast of America and, likewise, ultimately the tallest broadleaf tree is going to be a London Plane – which is the first recorded hybrid between two trees from different continents.

A landowner in Dorset was recently informed by the council that he had to plant ‘native’ hornbeams (Carpinus betulus). Interesting! Bit of a slow coach your hornbeam, only got in by the skin of its teeth. Native from the Pyrenees to Southern Sweden and east to Asia Minor, oh, and Essex!

It’s a lovely tree, I highly recommend it, but it never got to Dorset under its own steam. Native – or not native?

Scots pine, (Pinus sylvestris), native to Scotland, Spain

In the countryside, growing trees which are familiar to the local wildlife makes sense, but it does have to be local. A hornbeam in Dorset might just as well be a horse chestnut from Albania.

But in our towns, we should select from trees which will cope with the hot, dry conditions – native or not native?

Mark Hinsley runs Arboricultural Consultants Ltd offering tree consultancy services.

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